


The Midgard Woman

by MedieavalBeabe



Category: The Duchess (2008), Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU Thor/The Duchess, Asgard and Jotunheim are Allies, But Sweet to Georgiana, F/M, Friendship, Frost Giants are Not Monsters, Frost Giants wear Clothing, Happy Ending, Loki and Georgiana Love, Loki is Moody, Loki is not Thor's brother, Loki/Thor Brothers, Loki/Thor Friendship, Margaret is Cool with Frost Giants, Possible smut, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-03-20 23:14:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 61,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3668766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MedieavalBeabe/pseuds/MedieavalBeabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”</p><p>OR:</p><p>The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Midgard Woman

 

To begin at the beginning...

 

The Nine Realms were divided into just that, Nine Realms, each home to all manner of beings. Asgard was the home of the Aesir, the God-like beings who possessed a powerful magic that ruled over the other realms and eventually bled into them, leading their people to develop magic skills of their own. But none more powerful than that in Asgard.

 

Jotunheim, on the other hand, was the home of the Jotunn, or to use the more common name, the Frost Giants. Contrary to popular opinion, however, the Frost Giants were not the savage, primitive beings that everyone else believed them to be. Giant they may be, yes, well, all but those who were born “runts,” who were small by Jotunn standards but to everyone else the size of an ordinary man or woman (and it was quite rare for a Frost Giant to birth a “runt” anyway) but they were by no means vicious monsters. They were simply beings who preferred to be left alone to their own devices, like tigers. They did not wish for war with the rest of the Nine Realms for the simple reason that they did not truly wish to be much involved with those realms at all, when all was said and done. They lived simply and only ever became involved with those from realms such as Asgard for political matters, which were always peaceful.

 

Until that one small misunderstanding that sent everything into turmoil.

 

The incident in question involved yet another of the Nine Realms, Midgard, which was also called Earth by those who lived upon it. Unlike the other realms, Midgard was the only one which had not developed magic of its own, and for that reason it was under constant Asgard protection, and Heimdall, the Gatekeeper, who saw everything that happened over the whole stretch of the Nine Realms, always kept a special eye on it, and anything he didn’t think was of great concern to the Asgardians, he kept to himself.

 

Which is one of the reasons the misunderstanding happened.

 

 _One_ of the reasons, mind, there were others too. But Heimdall cannot be blamed for everything that happens in this story.

 

Anyway, the Midgardians didn’t have much to do with the rest of the Nine Realms, for the simple reason that only a small, select few knew of their existence. Those were the humans that Asgardians or Jotunns or anyone else from one of the other realms chose to show themselves too and trusted enough not to spread word of their existence around in a world that hadn’t even developed magic yet. After all, as Heimdall once predicted, such a thing could upset the delicate balance of the Nine Realms and cause great disruption for all of them.

 

So for the time being, Midgard was set a little apart from the rest of the Nine Realms. After all, it was rare for anyone else to have dealings with Midgardian people and vice versa, and Asgardians like Prince Thor and his friends grew up understanding that no Midgardian had ever travelled into one of the other realms via the Bifrost Bridge, or at least, not willingly. After all, the Bifrost was free to anyone who wanted to use it, as long as they politely asked Heimdall to open it for them, and in all the stories they had heard about Dark Elves and Frost Giants whilst growing up, they were sure that some Midgardian prisoners must exist within the other realms, snatched from their homeworld to become slaves or whores to evil Elves and Giants alike and with no chance of being set free to return to Midgard again.

 

Perhaps it’s understandable that they got confused.

 

Then again, perhaps not.

 

At any rate, Thor grew up with a certainty that Frost Giants couldn’t be trusted. Not that he had met many in his time, but the fact they always wished to be left in peace, which was something that a Prince like Thor couldn’t even begin to understand, instinctively told him that they had something to hide. As time wore on, and he finally reached adulthood, Thor was sure that he knew everything there was to know about Frost Giants, as young people who haven’t seen much of the world yet often believe, that they know everything and that nothing is left to shock them.

 

But, of course, Thor was wrong.

 

So the story moves on, finally landing at what most would call the “True Beginning,” and they’re probably right, but after all, even the beginning of a story has its own backstory. At any rate, the “True Beginning” as fans coin it, begins in Asgard, with Thor readying himself to accompany his Father, Odin, also known as the Allfather, on a political excursion to Jotunheim, something he had been looking forward too for most of his childhood.

 

Thor grinned as his trusted servant Jarl finished tying the last fastening of his armour. He had been talking about this with his friends, Sif, Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg, for weeks and now the moment was finally here, he couldn’t help feeling more than a little excited. His friends were also coming with him, but only because they were also trusted soldiers in his Father’s army. Along with them, Odin was also bringing two of his most trusted guards, and that was it. He knew, after all, that bringing an entire army marching into Jotunheim was not the way to maintain their peaceful relationship with the Frost Giants.

 

“Excited, Your Highness?” Jarl asked, automatically straightening Thor’s tunic for him beneath his armour.

 

“Excitement doesn’t cover it, Jarl,” Thor replied, picking up his hammer and helmet from the chair by the door. “I’ve been looking forward to this my whole life.”

 

“Oh,” Jarl replied. “I didn’t know you were so keen to see Jotunheim.”

 

“It’s not the thought of Jotunheim,” Thor replied, “it’s the thought of finally being able to see what goes on in this political meetings Father’s always having to get involved in. It’s like I’m finally becoming a man today.”

 

Jarl nodded. “Will there be anything else, Your Highness?”

 

Thor grinned. “No, Jarl. You may go.”

 

He pulled open the door and stepped out into the hallway beyond, his cloak billowing behind him like a river as he strode along the corridor and made his way into the throne room. His mother, Frigga, the Queen of Asgard, was waiting patiently to bid him and his Father goodbye and good luck on their journey.

 

“Thor,” she smiled, wrapping him in a tender embrace. “Now, you remember what I told you?”

 

“Always listen to Father,” Thor replied, grinning as he hugged her back.

 

“And always respect the Jotunheim customs, no matter how strange they may appear to you,” Frigga replied, releasing him and fixing him with a serious look.

 

“Right,” Thor agreed, although she could see that he didn’t think such a thing was a big deal.

 

“Thor, I’m serious,” Frigga insisted. “If the Jotunns expect you to do as they do, then you do it, you hear me? If they eat with their hands instead of utensils, then you eat with your hands instead of utensils. And never question any of their customs or traditions, or you might offend them.”

 

“And we wouldn’t want that, would we?” Thor asked, with a teasing smile.

 

“Thor,” sighed Frigga. “The Jotunns might not be our best friends in the Nine Realms, but they are our allies, and they need to know that they can respect and trust us, so we must show that we can respect and trust them. It goes both ways. I mean, how would you feel if we invite them here and they came and sat on the floors instead of the chairs we offered them and chose to eat raw meat and drink blood instead of eat or drink anything we prepared for them?”

 

Thor stiffened. “I’d feel very insulted.”

 

“There you are, then,” Frigga replied, soothingly. “You might not mean to insult the Jotunn by not choosing to follow their customs, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be offended anyway. Think before you act.”

 

Thor smiled, knowing that she was right. “Do you fuss over Father like this?”

 

“Yes, she does.”

 

They both turned to smile at Odin as he strode into the room, Gungnir clasped in one hand. “She fusses over me all the time, Thor, much more than she’s ever fussed over you, I’m sure.”

 

Frigga rolled her eyes. “You are only still alive today to complain because I fuss over you, husband.”

 

“Yes, dear,” Odin joked, kissing her cheek. “Come, Thor, or we’ll be late.”

 

“Look after him!” Frigga called as they left the room.

 

“I will!” Odin replied.

 

“I was talking to Thor!”

 

Thor laughed. “I will, Mother!”

 

They made their way towards the courtyard, where the guards, Sif and the Warriors Three were lined up, awaiting orders. Sif and the Warriors Three grinned at Thor as he approached and he returned it.

 

“Right, everyone,” Odin announced, standing before them. “Our visit will be a short one, however we will probably be invited to stay the night, as it is not within the customs of the Jotunn to turn out guests overnight. Our reasons for going are purely political, so no hijinks or anything else that might offend our hosts. One final thing, it will be, as I’m sure you all know, extremely cold on Jotunheim, so if any of you are not properly dressed, then now is the time to speak up.” No one spoke and Odin nodded, gently. “Good. Now, let us make our way to the Bifrost Bridge.”

 

Everyone nodded and then followed him on horseback to where Heimdall was waiting to admit them. Once there, they all dismounted, knowing that they would not need horses on Jotunheim, because they would be going straight to the ice palace of King Laufey the second they arrived.

 

“Gentlemen,” Heimdall greeted them, respectfully nodding, “and Lady Sif.”

 

Sif smiled, politely, whilst the others nodded.

 

“Good luck,” Heimdall said, opening the Bifrost for them, and in a showering of rainbow light, they were swallowed up and transported to Jotunheim.

 

Unlike Asgard, where the sun was still shining and which always seemed to glitter gold, Jotunheim had a darkness about it that could only be connected with eternal winter. The whole realm was coloured blue, white and black and even in the daylight, there was a dullness about the sky, brought on by lack of heat in the atmosphere. Even bundled up warmly in their layers of clothing, the Aesir visitors each felt a shiver run down their spine as they glanced around the place.

 

“Odin.”

 

It was a statement, not a question, and Thor and his friends jumped visibly, having not noticed the Jotunheim party awaiting to meet them. Laufey stood at the head of the party, his blue skin bumped like barnacles with muscle and adored with pale swirl patterns and his red eyes glinting like rubies in the dim lighting, even though his facial expression and tone were both cordial. He stood with four other Frost Giants behind him, obviously soldiers or guards, and they all maintained a friendly enough air as they nodded at the Aesir party. What surprised Thor, however, was their clothing. He had always been led to believe that Frost Giants dressed only in ragged loincloths and nothing else, after all, why would they need to cover up against the cold? But instead, he observe that they all wore black hose made of some thick, coarse material tucked into black boots that were fringed to look like snowflakes at the tops where they met the knee, and loose tunics, with open collars and without sleeves, which looked to have been made from brown sacking and tied with rope belts, from which a variety of ice weapons hung. Laufey, however, wore a long open waistcoat over his tunic, made from a darker brown material and lined with fur. The gold and dark blue stitching up and down the front and back of it looked regal, indicating his status above the other Jotunns.

 

Odin nodded, respectfully, and made the Ancient Sign of Greeting which Laufey returned. “Laufey. It has been a long time.”

 

“Indeed it has,” Laufey rumbled, although his voice was neither frightening nor sinister, it was startlingly gentle, or at least on the verge of being so. “The last time we met, both your son and mine were barely into their childhood. Now my son had grown, and I see that yours has too.”

 

Odin indicated for his son to step forwards and Thor, realising what he had to do and remembering what his Mother had taught him, also made the Ancient Sign of Greeting. “I am honoured to meet you, Sire. Thank you for allowing me to observe your meeting.”

 

Laufey nodded his head, softly. “My son will also be present, young Thor, although I sense he is less enthusiastic about it than you are. He would rather be with his books.” Odin chuckled. Laufey smiled and then turned towards the palace. “Come. Let us get politics out of the way and be free to enjoy the rest of the evening together in my palace.”

 

Odin fell into step beside Laufey as they walked and Thor jogged to keep up as his friends and the Aesir guards fell into step with the Jotunns, who were quiet but not unfriendly, it seemed. However, Thor quickly came to realise just how boring politics could be and he found himself groaning inwardly at the thought of attending this meeting.

 

“Help me,” he muttered to Sif, but she just laughed and then went back to sharing some joke with a Jotunn soldier by comparing the size of his battle sword to hers.

 

“My son’s appearance may surprise you,” Laufey said, getting Thor’s attention and he glanced upwards. “Whilst he has always stated he is proud to be a Frost Giant, he prefers to maintain an Aesir form, because he finds it more appealing to others.”

 

“Well, he shouldn’t have to worry,” began Odin.

 

“Particularly with women,” Laufey finished, meaningfully, prompting chuckles from both of them.

 

“I see,” Odin replied, grinning.

 

It wasn’t the colour of Laufey’s son’s skin that surprised Thor, however, when they came upon him inside the room allocated for their meeting, but his stature. And then he remembered something he had once read about “Frost Giant “runts” in a book, so suddenly the sight of a Jotunheim Prince who was actually almost the same size as he was stopped being surprising.

 

“Loki,” said Laufey as his son looked up in time to see them walk into the room. He closed his book, pushed it away from him across the table and got to his feet. “Meet Odin of Asgard, and his son Prince Thor.”

 

Loki made a small bow of respect, inwardly thinking that there was one place in particular he would rather be right now. “I’m honoured to meet you both,” he said, politely, knowing that the sooner this meeting started, then the sooner it could finish and he would be free to pursue his other interest again.

 

“As we are by you, young Loki,” Odin replied, bowing back.

 

Loki smiled, briefly, and then slipped back into his chair. This was something that surprised Thor too; he had indeed been expecting them to sit on the floor, as his mother had had him believe, and certainly not with any kind of table between them. Albeit, the furnishings were made of craggy stone that had been polished smooth, but they were furnishings none the less, and he was impressed, even if he didn’t show it.

 

The meeting began and had only been going on for about two minutes when Thor felt like his eyes were beginning to close. There was nothing, he decided, exciting to be found in politics at all; it was not like a battle, all energy and rushing highs, bloodshed and shouting, pain and fighting. The meeting was slow by comparison and seemed to drag on forever. To distract himself, Thor shot a glance at Loki to see how he was faring. Loki, however, was sitting patiently with his eyes trained on his Father, inwardly counting down the seconds until they could be free of this tortuously slow nightmare.

 

Eventually, however, just when Thor was wondering if anyone would even notice if he slipped out of the room to find something more exciting to do, the meeting came to an end and both Kings got to their feet. Loki got up too, retrieving his book as he did so. Thor quickly followed suit and walked behind his Father as they were led towards the dining hall.

 

Again, Thor was surprised to find the place furnished with tables, chairs and long reclining seats, although a few of Laufey’s men had opted to sit on cushions on the floor instead. They were indeed eating with their hands, but the food they dined on was such as Thor would have eaten with his own hands back on Asgard anyway, so he stopped feeling nervous about having to do so. He quickly spotted his friends gathered around a few reclining chairs and quickly went over to join them.

 

“So, how was it?” Sif grinned at him.

 

Thor shook his head as he sat down beside Volstagg, who was snacking on what looked like a leg of capon. “I hope I never have to sit through something like that ever again for as long as I live.”

 

“Wishful thinking,” grinned Fandral. “Think how often your Father has to do it. That’ll be you after he’s gone, you know.”

 

Thor groaned and ran his hands across his face.

 

“Blodpudding, sir?” A young Jotunn servant was offering him a plate.

 

“Oh,” Thor said, smiling gratefully as he took one. “Thank you.”

 

“You need to try the capon,” Volstagg said through a mouthful of it. “I mean, I thought the food here was supposed to suck-!”

 

“Shh!” Fandral hissed, though thankfully no one seemed to have heard Volstagg coherently enough to fuss.

 

“But I’ve been proved wrong!” Volstagg finished, frowning at him.

 

Thor laughed.

 

“Wine, my Lord?”

 

It was a different voice now, and Thor looked up in surprise, as did his friends, for it belonged to a woman. And not just any woman, it seemed. She was fair, and not just the colour of her skin; her features were very beautiful, her face soft, her brown eyes kind and her hair as golden as Asgard itself. But judging from the clothes she wore, she was clearly a Midgardian.

 

“Um, yes, thank you,” Thor said when he finally found his voice.

 

“Here,” Hogun said, gruffly, holding up an empty goblet. “We grabbed one for you.”

 

The woman giggled, lightly, and poured him a generous measure, before moving across the room with the jug still clasped between her hands. Thor watched her, surprised by her presence in a place like this, for after all, no human ever came to Jotunheim. Then it all made sense as he watched her go over to where Loki was sitting alone in a corner of the room. She spoke, although he couldn’t hear what was said, and Loki looked up, relaxing his surprised expression into a sly one as he replied. Whatever he had said was probably some witty remark, as the woman laughed and set down the jug on a table beside him. As she did so, Loki said something else, his expression darkening slightly and the woman stiffened, her cheerful expression faltering as she suddenly looked nervous about something. She ducked her head and Loki caught hold of her hand. She winced, visibly, as he got to his feet and Loki muttered something before taking hold of her wrist instead and then leading her from the room.

 

Thor and his friends were silent a while as they digested what they had just seen.

 

“What just happened?” Fandral said, finally, even though they all knew.

 

Thor stared in the direction that they had gone. “It looks like...she’s a prisoner.”

 

“The poor girl,” Sif said.

 

“Are you sure?” Hogun asked. “I mean, he didn’t see particularly...harsh with her.”

 

“Harsh?” Thor looked at him. “Didn’t you see the expression on his face when he saw her? Or the way she stiffened when he spoke to her, and winced when he touched her? She’s clearly terrified of him. He’s probably been abusing her.”

 

“And using her to warm his bed,” Sif added, her own expression darkening at the thought.

 

“Exactly,” Thor agreed, turning to Hogun. “There’s no other explanation for it. She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”

 

Hogun shrugged. “Are you going to tell Odin?”

 

“What good will that do?” Volstagg asked, though a mouthful of food. “He won’t want to go making waves with the Frost Giants by telling them to release one of their prisoners.”

 

Thor nodded. “He’d tell us to respect their customs because it’s not our place to interfere.”

 

“But we must do something,” Sif insisted. “The poor girl’s clearly out of her comfort zone. She needs to be back on Midgard, not here in the freezing cold playing the unwilling bedfellow of a Jotunn Prince.”

 

Thor nodded. “I agree. We’ve got to do something.”

 

“Alright, but what?” Fandral asked. “I mean, we can’t very well just go barging into the Prince’s rooms and demand he release the girl, can we? That’ll only make things worse.”

 

“We can’t let him abuse her,” Sif exclaimed in a horrified gasp.

 

“I don’t like the idea of it anymore than you do, Sif,” Thor replied, “but Fandral’s right. We need to be subtle about this.”

 

“Then what’s the plan?” Volstagg asked, taking a sip of wine.

 

“We return here tomorrow night, and liberate the girl,” Thor replied.

 

And this was precisely what they did. Or rather, tried to do.

 

After spending a rather restless night in a Jotunn bed, which was surprisingly comfortable compared to the rest of the furnishings in his guest room, Thor was more than ready to return to Asgard, but he forced his head to listen to his heart as he reminded himself that they were to return here this very evening and rescue the young servant woman from Midgard. After all, who knew what horrors she had gone through the previous night?

 

So, it was all settled. Laufey and his party saw them to the border where they had arrived the previous day, and as Thor watched him exchange pleasantries with Odin, he couldn’t help feeling that perhaps Laufey had had nothing to do with this young woman’s kidnapping at all; perhaps it had all been engineered by his son. That Loki must be truly wicked to get away with such a thing.

 

“I look forward to one day creating political ties with you, young Thor,” Laufey said to him, by way of goodbye, “although I shall be sorry to stop receiving your Father’s visits.”

 

Thor smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Sire. I will be honoured to do business with you also someday.”

 

The Bifrost took them back home and as Loki watched the rainbow lights from his bedroom window, he felt glad that they had gone, as if he could suddenly breathe again now that they were no longer in Jotunheim. Now everything could go back to normal again; no more putting on a pretence or hiding his true nature. Everything was free to be as it was before.

 

Or, so he thought.

 

Thor and his friends worked hard all day coming up with their plan to save the woman. Eventually, the sun began to set in Asgard and the five made their way to the Bifrost Bridge on foot, so as not to alert Odin to their absence by taking horses. Heimdall was surprised to see them again to say the least.

 

“Prince Thor,” he greeted them, “Warriors Three, Lady Sif. Is there a problem?”

 

“Heimdall, we need you to open the Bifrost to Jotunheim,” Thor said. “Please.”

 

Heimdall blinked at him. “Jotunheim?”

 

“We left something behind,” Sif said.

 

“All five of you?” Heimdall didn’t look convinced.

 

“Please, Heimdall?” Thor asked.

 

Heimdall raised his eyebrows but did as asked. “Be careful,” was all he said to them, and so the Bifrost carried them back to Jotunheim.

 

“I don’t like this,” Hogun muttered, glancing about them as they approached the palace quietly. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

 

“Stop being such a maiden, Hogun,” Thor replied, raising Mjölnir and swinging her around. “Are we all ready?”

 

“Ready,” Sif said.

 

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Fandral agreed.

 

“Volstagg, you know what you have to do?” Thor checked.

 

Volstagg rolled his eyes. “Get in, grab the woman and get back out again. It’s hardly the most complex plan you’ve ever come up with, Thor.”

 

Thor grinned and then with one final swing, released Mjölnir. The hammer sang as it flew through the air and collided with one of the top castle towers, cracking parts of it off with noises like lightning crackling. The effect was remarkable, for as the five friends quickly pressed back into the shadows, choas began to erupt inside the palace. Pulling himself on top of a rather disgruntle Fandral’s shoulders, Volstagg tucked the Jotunn-style cloak they had managed to procure with the help of one of the Queen’s personal seamstresses, around them to hide their lack of blue skin and then ran forwards, intermixing with a crowd of Frost Giants who had come running out to see what the damage was. They ran into the palace and began to hunt for the young woman.

 

Meanwhile, Thor, Sif and Hogun slipped further along the shadows, looking for a place from which they could cause more distractions. As they moved along, Hogun glanced up at the palace and saw the young woman they had come to rescue appear at the balcony of one of the top room windows to see what the damage may be. Something about her appearance confirmed his suspicions, although he couldn’t put his finger on what.

 

“I’m telling you, Thor, something is wrong,” he muttered, but Thor ignored him and sent Mjölnir singing again towards another part of the palace, not doing too much damage but just enough to get everyone running around, creating more confusion and giving Fandral and Volstagg the time they needed to rescue the young woman.

 

“I hope we find her soon,” Fandral groused as he hurried up the stairs. “I can’t hold you much longer!”

 

“Shut up and keep running!” Volstagg retorted.

 

“That’s it,” Fandral panted, leaning on a wall to catch his breath. “Next time I’m going on _your_ shoulders! I swear you’re putting on weight!”

 

Then, to their surprise, the woman they were after came running past them. Fandral straightened up and hurried them towards her, and Volstagg caught her shoulder. She spun around with a wild-eyed look and an exclamation of “What is it?” Then, she saw who had caught hold of her and she frowned in confusion. “What are you doing back here?”

 

“We’ve come to rescue you, Miss,” Volstagg replied.

 

“Rescue me?” the woman repeated, bewildered.

 

“Volstagg!” Fandral groaned. “Shoulders going!”

 

Without another word, Volstagg grabbed the girl in his arms and threw her bodily over his shoulder. Fandral groaned with the extra weight but began to run regardless as the woman gave a startled shriek of “What do you think you’re doing? Put me down at once!” and began to batter at him.

 

“Easy, Miss,” Volstagg muttered as Fandral ran them along the corridor and then hid behind a wall as several other Frost Giants ran towards the door. Volstagg quickly set the woman on her feet but before she could say anything, he spun her about and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Shh!” he hissed, and the three of them listened until Fandral deemed it safe to go.

 

“Now or never,” he muttered, and with that the pair of them threw off the cloak and began to run towards the door, which was now clear of all Frost Giants. Volstagg dragged the woman behind them, even though she struggled and protested, but they barely heard her as they ran towards the spot where Thor had told them to meet and take the Bifrost back to Asgard.

 

“Will you kindly take your hands off me, please?” The woman snapped, finally managing to wrench her arm free of Volstagg’s grip. “And tell me what exactly is going on?”

 

“It’s alright, Miss,” began Volstagg.

 

“Excuse me, I have a name,” the woman interrupted, sharply. “It’s Georgiana.”

 

“Miss Georgiana,” Volstagg went on, “I know you’re a bit confused and scared right now, but rest assured, you’ll be safe soon.”

 

“Safe?” Georgiana repeated. “From what?” She shivered, since she was only wearing a thin cotton nightdress with long sleeves over her fur-lined boots. Before either man could make to wrap a cloak around her, however, Thor, Sif and Hogun came racing up to them.

 

“Heimdall, open the Bifrost!” Thor exclaimed. “We don’t have much time!”

 

Georgiana turned back to the palace, all ready to run, but before she could do so, the Bifrost swallowed them all up and she let out a scream that carried right back to the palace, and all the Frost Giants heard it. Then, she felt something solid beneath her feet and she stumbled, almost falling over, but Sif caught her arm and steadied her. Georgiana, however, shot her a glare and pulled her arm free before turning to Thor. “Prince Thor, I demand that you take me back home right now!”

 

“Don’t worry, we’re going to,” Thor reassured her. “Whereabouts on Midgard do you live?”

 

To their surprise, she simply stared at him. “Midgard?”

 

“Sorry,” Thor corrected himself. “Earth.”

 

Georgiana let out a soft, sarcastic laugh. “Yes, I know what Midgard is! But it might interest you to know that it hasn’t been my home for the last five years!”

 

Heimdall had finally come up, and his eyes widened at the sight of her. “Prince Thor,” he said, shaking his head. “What have you done?”

 

Thor frowned. “What do you mean? We just rescued this woman-”

 

“Rescued?” Georgiana repeated. “Is that what you’re calling this? Because it seems like you just dragged me away from home and hearth for no valid reason whatsoever!”

 

Sif stared at her. “But you’re Loki’s prisoner!”

 

“Loki’s...?” Georgiana’s eyes widened and she looked genuinely offended. “Is that what you thought? That he was holding me against my will?”

 

“I knew something was wrong,” Hogun muttered, closing his eyes.

 

“What are you saying?” Thor demanded, stepping up to her.

 

Georgiana glared up at him. “I am saying, _Prince Thor,”_ and she put heavy emphasis on the name when she said it just to show her indignation, “that Loki is _not_ my captor. He’s my _husband!”_

 


	2. How It Really Happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so long, it kind of ran away from me!

_Twenty years ago..._

_Laufey knew that his son was a lonely child. After all, being as small as he was meant that none of the other Frost Giants his age wanted to play with him, and to be perfectly frank Laufey didn’t want his son to play with them anyway, because he was always worried about his boy getting hurt. It had been a little distressing for him when he had learned that Farbauti had given birth to a “runt” because he had known then that his heir would always need a little extra looking after, but he loved him even so and was always very proud of any achievements he made in life. He had become especially protective of him following Farbauti’s death at the hands of a Dark Elf during a battle. Had it not been for the intervention of the Aesir, the Frost Giants would have been all but wiped out in that battle, and it was largely due to this story that Loki had always vowed that no wife of his would ever become embroiled in the horrors of war._

_At any rate, watching his son grow up surrounded by more books than people, it finally occurred to Laufey that perhaps what Loki needed was a friend his own size to play with. So, when Loki was seven years old, Laufey decided to take him to Midgard. Using magic, which Farbauti had been highly skilled in, and which Loki would always grow up with a talent for, to give them both Aesir form, he took his son through the Bifrost for his first glimpse of humans._

_“They’re my size,” was Loki’s first observation when he spotted a group of Midgard children playing around the frozen pond. “Not huge like Frost Giants.”_

_Laufey smiled. “They are similar to the Aesir in a lot of ways, Loki, but they have not yet developed magic. So, be careful not to scare anyone with it.”_

_Loki watched the other children for a while, feeling too shy to go and mix with them even in his Aesir form. One in particular caught his eye, a girl who looked to be about his own age, sitting on a bench beside the pond by herself not far away from the clump of trees behind which they were watching from. She had fair hair in curls and was sketching reverently in a large black book. It was the fact that she was on her own that caught his attention most, however, and he found himself wondering if she was like him, unable to find anyone like herself to play with._

_“See something you like?” Laufey teased him, gently._

_Loki blushed and looked at his feet. “She’s on her own. Like me most days.”_

_“Well, why don’t you go over and say “Hello” to her?” Laufey suggested. “Then she won’t be on her own anymore.”_

_Loki shook his head. “No. I couldn’t-”_

_Before he could finish, however, his Father had given him a small, encouraging shove that send him stumbling forwards rather clumsily through the snow, coming to an unsteady halt beside the bench. The girl looked up at him in surprise and then smiled politely._

_“Hello,” she said._

_Loki was certain that his blush was deepening as he stammered a shy “Hello,” back, holding his hands awkwardly clasped behind him and shuffling his feet._

_The girl managed to put him at his ease, however. “I’ve not seen you around here before.”_

_“Well, I’m not from around here,” Loki replied. “I’m new.”_

_“Oh.” The girl nodded as if that was enough and got to her feet. “My name’s Georgiana.”_

_“Mine’s Loki,” Loki replied._

_To his surprise, however, she laughed. “That’s a funny name.”_

_Feeling somewhat indignant, Loki folded his arms and retorted “Well, I think Georgiana’s a funny name.”_

_They both looked at one another and for a second Loki thought he might had offended her. Then she laughed again and Loki found himself laughing too. Watching from the shadows, Laufey smiled and slipped away. “You can take it from here, son,” he murmured to himself._

_“What were you drawing?” Loki asked and she held out her sketchbook. He took it and flicked gently through the pages, smiling at her talent. “You’re really good.”_

_“Thank you,” Georgiana smiled, but her eyes looked distant as she did so._

_“What?” Loki asked, noticing her expression._

_“Well, I just get tired of drawing all the same things, the same people,” Georgiana sighed. “There’s not that much that’s interesting to draw around here. Even drawing flowers and stuff gets boring after a while.”_

_Loki smiled and handed her back her sketchbook. “There’s some really pretty flowers back where I come from, not like the ones here,” he said, choosing his words carefully as his Father had instructed him not to give too much away about their home to someone he barely knew. “I could find you one if you like.”_

_“Could you?” Georgiana’s eyes lit up like the sun. “What do they look like?”_

_“There are some that we call Eisblumen that look like those white ones you get here, the ones that women sometimes carry at weddings,” Loki replied._

_“Lilies?”_

_“Right, those, but they’re blue.”_

_“Blue?” Georgiana laughed again. He liked her laugh, Loki decided. “Oh, I can’t believe that!”_

_“You’ll see,” Loki insisted. “I can bring you one tomorrow, if you promise not to show it to anyone else.”_

_Georgiana didn’t ask why, because children never do when asked such things by other children. Instead, she said “I won’t,” and brought a smile to Loki’s face. They stood talking a while longer and then Loki realised that it was beginning to get dark._

_“I should go,” he said. “My Father will be worried.”_

_“Mine too,” Georgiana admitted. “And my Mother.”_

_“I’ll meet you here tomorrow evening,” Loki promised._

_Georgiana smiled. “Goodbye, Loki.”_

_It made him feel warm inside when she said that. “Goodbye,” he said, and then added as she left, “Georgiana.”_

_“Now that wasn’t too hard, was it?” Laufey smiled as Loki reached him._

_And that, as they say, was that._

_The very next evening, Georgiana found herself approached by a rather smug looking Loki holding a flower that looked something like a lily with a long stalk and no leaves, but which was entirely blue all over and covered in thousands of tiny ice crystals._

_“I told you so,” he smiled as Georgiana gave a gasp of awe and reached out to touch it with her gloved hand._

_“Oh, Loki, it’s just beautiful!” Georgiana breathed, taking it from him, and then she noticed for the first time that he wasn’t wearing gloves. “Are your hands not cold?”_

_“No,” Loki answered, truthfully. “I don’t feel the cold.”_

_“Oh, you’re so lucky,” Georgiana sighed. “I love winter. It’s my favourite season. But Mama always makes me wrap up warmly before I can go out and play in the snow, because I caught a chill from not doing so when I was little.”_

_Loki smiled. “I like playing in the snow too.”_

_“And skating?” Georgiana asked. “I love skating.”_

_“Me too,” Loki said._

_They smiled, shyly at one another, and then Georgiana brought the flower up to her face, brushing its petals against her nose. “It smells heavenly,” she smiled._

_“They stay fresh for a whole month in cold water,” Loki told her. “So you’ll have plenty of time to draw it.”_

_Georgiana smiled, and then, to his surprise, stepped forwards and hugged him, gently. “Thank you, Loki.”_

_“Um...” Loki hesitated, unsure what to do, and then he cautiously hugged her back. “You’re welcome, Georgiana.”_

_There were plenty of hugs between them after that. And more besides._

_Loki’s visits became a regular occurrence in Georgiana’s life, and she found herself looking forward to them. They were a bright spot in the boring consistency of her normal existence, an escape from the boring everyday world she inhabited, as the things he told her always excited and enthralled her imagination. Slowly, he began to tell her more of Jotunheim without actually disclosing where it actually was, and Georgiana never asked, although a part of her suspected that Loki was not of this world without actually knowing she suspected it._

_“Your home sounds fascinating,” she told him one day when they were ten._

_Loki was surprised. “Fascinating? No one’s ever said that before.”_

_“Well, isn’t it?” she challenged, with a smile. “With flowers that can survive in winter and vast glaciers and places you can always skate all year ‘round? How can no one else find that fascinating?”_

_Loki shrugged. “A lot of people near us, our allies and that, just think of it as primitive.”_

_“Why?” Georgiana asked._

_“Because we’re not as advanced and sophisticated as they are, I suppose,” Loki sighed. “Some of them even call us savage monsters.”_

_Georgiana frowned. “Why monsters?”_

_Loki glanced at her and remembered what his Father had told him._

_“If you trust this girl enough not to judge or to bring soldiers to hunt you down, you may show your true self to her. But if she is afraid, it’s probably best if you leave.”_

_He took a deep breath, got to his feet and held out his hand to her. “Do you believe in magic?”_

_“Magic?” Georgiana repeated. “Well, yes, I think so. I mean, people always tell me it doesn’t exist, but I think they’re wrong.”_

_“They are,” Loki replied. “It does exist. I can show you. If you trust me.”_

_Georgiana nodded and put her hand in his. “I trust you.”_

_She got to her feet and Loki pulled her behind the nearest tree. He hesitated and then dropped her hand. “Georgiana, what I’m going to show you might scare you, but I want you to know...what I am.” He took a deep breath and willed his illusion of the Aesir form to melt away, revealing his true self to her for the first time. Closing his eyes, he waited for the scream, or the frightened gasp he was certain would come. To his surprise, however, Georgiana drew in her breath and whispered “I knew it!”_

_Opening his eyes, Loki saw that she was neither afraid nor disgusted by his true form, but awed by it. Her eyes were wide with what looked like delight and she reached out an un-gloved hand, because now it was spring and she had no need of them, to touch his, not shying away at all from the coolness of his skin. “I knew you couldn’t be from our world,” she whispered, curling her fingers around his palm. “The way you talk about your home, and seem so out of place here...I knew there had to be more...”_

_Loki blinked at her. “You’re not scared?” Georgiana shook her head. “You don’t think I’m a monster?”_

_“No,” Georgiana insisted. “You don’t look like a monster, not like the ones in books anyway.”_

_Loki smiled and then changed back to his Aesir form. “You’re a lot nicer than a lot of people then, Georgiana.”_

_“So, where are you from, then? If not here?” Georgiana persisted._

_So, Loki explained the Nine Realms to her, and Georgiana listened with a patient fascination as he described the history of their creation and the details of each individual race so vividly that she could almost picture it for herself._

_“Will you take me there?” she asked when he had finished._

_“To Jotunheim?” Loki asked in surprised._

_“Yes,” Georgiana replied. “I really want to see it.”_

_Loki thought about it. “I’ll have to ask Father’s permission first.”_

_So he did. And Laufey was surprised to say the least._

_“I think,” he said, eventually, “that it would be best if you both waited until you’re older. No, don’t look at me like that, Loki. It wouldn’t be right to take a child away from her comfort zone and into a strange land without permission from her own parents. You need to wait until she’d old enough to do so. How much younger is she from you?”_

_“A few months,” Loki answered. “Not much.”_

_“Very well, then,” Laufey decided. “When you’re both seventeen, then she may come to Jotunheim.”_

_Loki knew that he had to be content with that, but Georgiana was patient and the years seemed to fly by, with several incidents happening along the way. One day when they were both twelve, Loki turned up at their usual meeting place and was surprised when Georgiana didn’t. He waited but she didn’t show, and eventually, feeling disheartened and wondering what he had done wrong to make her not want to see him any longer, he went back to Jotunheim._

_Laufey was surprised the next night when he discovered that his son hadn’t gone to see his friend on Midgard. “What happened?” he asked._

_“She wasn’t there,” Loki said into his pillow. “I waited for ages but she didn’t show up. I don’t think she wants to see me anymore.”_

_“Oh, Loki, don’t talk rot,” Laufey replied. “I’m sure that something must have delayed her. Maybe something’s happened to her at home that stopped her from coming. True friends don’t abandon friends. She must have had a good reason for it.”_

_With his Father’s coaxing, Loki eventually decided to go back to Midgard, and to his relief, Georgiana was waiting for him. It was only when he got closer to her that he realised she had been crying. Glancing up, she spotted him and leapt to her feet with a little gasp. “Loki!” She threw her arms around his neck and buried her head in his front, beginning to sob all over again. “I thought you’d abandoned me! Please don’t_ you _leave me too!”_

_Bewildered to say the least, Loki hugged her back. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”_

_“My Father died,” Georgiana wept. “He was riding with friends...for the hunt...and there was a snake that startled the horse and...and...”_

_She choked out another sob and Loki hugged her tighter. “Gods, Georgiana, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise. I thought I’d done something wrong and you didn’t want to see me anymore.”_

_“No,” Georgiana whispered. “No, I’d never want that. Never.”_

_They stood for a long time together in silence, with snow swirling around them, both reflecting on what they had both lost, for after all Loki knew the pain of losing a parent all too well, so he could share in her sorrow, and he resolved from that moment onwards to always be there for her when she needed him._

_Something else happened as well, for as they neared Georgiana’s seventeenth birthday, the day that they had decided Loki would finally take her to Asgard, she noticed a change in herself, something she wasn’t entirely certain she knew the true nature of. It had to do with Loki, for as they grew she had begun to notice that he was growing into a rather handsome youth and each time he made her laugh, she felt a stirring like butterflies within the pit of her stomach. It occurred to her the more she thought about it just how much she liked being around Loki, how safe she always felt with him and how she could always talk to him about anything and he would understand, or be supportive of her opinions. Occasionally he might tease her but then she would tease him right back and they would laugh together. Sometimes they disagreed or even squabbled, but it was never enough to damage their friendship, and they always made up in the end. Even fighting with Loki she felt safe, knowing that he would never hate her or abandon her when she needed him most. She trusted him with her entire heart._

_So, is it any wonder then that she woke up on the morning of her seventeenth birthday and realised that she was in love?_

_The realisation sent a tingling through her entire body and she lay for a while wondering what to do about it. She had no way of knowing if Loki felt the same way or not. Sometimes she wondered if he did, when he did little things like brush her hair out of her eyes for her or help her to her feet in a gentlemanly manner, but then other times she felt that he just wanted to be friends with her. Best friends, she reminded herself, clambering out of bed._

_She spent the rest of the day pondering it, and in the end, she decided that whatever the outcome, she had to tell him. After all, there was a chance he might feel the same way and in that case, all would be well, and if he didn’t feel the same way, well, well at least he could go through life knowing that at least_ somebody _loved him._

_Yes, she had to tell him._

_So, come evening, she wrapped herself up warmly as Loki had instructed her to do, because even though it was late spring and far too warm for warm clothing on Midgard, and was making her way out of the house when her Mother spotted her. “Georgiana?”_

_Georgiana turned with a bright smile. “Mama?”_

_“Where are you off to?” Margaret Spencer asked._

_“Just for a walk, Mama, to meet a friend,” Georgiana replied, truthfully enough._

_“Dressed like that?”_

_“I felt chilly.”_

_“In this weather? Georgiana, don’t be ridiculous. You’ll faint of heat exhaustion-”_

_“Goodbye, Mama,” Georgiana cut across her, hurrying from the house. She giggled as she made her way towards the pond where she was to meet Loki, wondering just what her Mother would say if she knew her daughter was really off to explore a completely different world somewhere above their own._

_Loki was already waiting for her and as he smiled at her, she felt her heart give a merry little kick. “Happy Birthday,” he said, hugging her and Georgiana smiled as she clung to him._

_“Thank you,” she smiled back, “and I think you’re about to give me the best present of all.”_

_Loki smiled and then took her hand. “Hold tight to me,” he instructed and as she pressed closer to him, he glanced at the sky. “Heimdall, please open the Bifrost.”_

_The shatterings of rainbow light swallowed them up and Georgiana gave a little gasp of excitement and tightened her grasp on Loki’s hand. Then, she felt soft snow crunch beneath her feet and she looked around at the new landscape, glittering blue and white in what light there was._

_“Oh, Loki,” she whispered, looking all around them. She turned to him with a laugh of delight. “It’s just like I pictured it! But better!”_

_Loki smiled and then offered her his arm. “May I be permitted to show you around, Miss Georgiana?”_

_“You may, kind Sir,” Georgiana teased back, slipping her arm through his and together they made their way across the snowy terrain. They discovered a patch where Eisblumen shot up right from the snow banks, along with other winter flowers that Loki pointed out and named, and it wasn’t long before they reached the frozen lake where the waves were frozen into points and the dark mountains around it shot upwards towards the sky. The whole area was surrounded with what looked like ruins of buildings but which were actually Jotunheim sculptures, as Loki explained to her._

_“I’m afraid our concept of art is quite different to yours,” he apologised._

_Georgiana smiled and Loki sensed that something was on her mind. He stopped, bringing her up short too. “Is something wrong?”_

_“No,” Georgiana insisted. “It’s just, well...” She took a deep breath. “I’ve got something to tell you, Loki.”_

_“Something bad?” Loki asked, feeling a mingling of worry stir within him._

_“No. Well...no, nothing bad.” Georgiana took a deep breath and stepped closer to him. “Loki...”_

_It was hard, she realised, when she didn’t know how he was going to react. Would he be surprised? Would he turn around and leave her? No, surely not?_

_“What is it, Georgiana?” Loki asked, softly. “You can tell me.”_

_She laughed, softly. “I_ want _to tell you. Just...please promise me we can still be friends?”_

_Loki frowned. “Aright, now I’m really worried.”_

_Georgiana laughed again, and then realised that it was now or never. Closing her eyes tightly, she said, slowly and calmly, “I’m in love with you.”_

_She heard a slight sound, snow crunching underfoot, and for a second she thought he had left her after all. But then she felt his arms embrace her, tightly and she opened her eyes only to be met by the green fabric of his tunic. She breathed in his warm, comforting scent and pressed closer to him, enjoying the moment while it lasted._

_“Why were you afraid to tell me that?” Loki asked._

_Georgiana hesitated. “Because I didn’t think you felt the same way,” she admitted._

_“Oh, darling,” Loki murmured, fondly, kissing the top of her head. “Have I really given you that impression?” Hardly daring to believe it, Georgiana slipped her arms around him and clung tightly to him. “I’ve loved you since the moment I met you.”_

_Georgiana pulled back slightly to look up into his eyes. “Cross your heart?”_

_“Cross my heart,” Loki answered, honestly._

_He leaned forwards and Georgiana closed her eyes, awaiting his kiss. Before he could kiss her, however, a voice from behind him said “Ah, Loki. I was wondering where you’d got to.”_

_With a quiet sigh, Loki turned and gave Georgiana her first glimpse of a fully-grown Frost Giant. And as with Loki when she was a child, she was not afraid but fascinated._

_“Father,” Loki greeted him, turning completely so that Laufey could see Georgiana properly. “This is Georgiana.”_

_“I’m honoured to meet you at last, your Majesty,” Georgiana said, politely, extending her hand. “Loki’s told me so much about your wonderful culture. I’m so thrilled I can finally be here at last.”_

_Laufey blinked in surprise as he gently took her hand in his much larger one. “It is rare for someone such as yourself to use such kind words when referring to our kind, Miss Georgiana. Frost Giants are generally perceived as savage monsters, the kind that parents tell their children about at night.”_

_Georgiana nodded. “Yes, Loki has told me that, although I’ve really no idea why that is. Loki doesn’t strike me as a monster and neither do you, if you don’t mind me saying so. And your realm is so beautiful.”_

_Laufey looked even more surprised, if it were possible, but pleased. “You are very kind to say so, Miss Georgiana. I think we will get along very well. Please, won’t you join us for dinner, unless, of course, you have already eaten? I’ve been informed that today is your birthday.”_

_Georgiana smiled. “Actually, I haven’t had dinner because my Mother saw fit to give me a rather large lunch, but I could possibly manage something small.”_

_With a smile, Loki took her hand and led her towards the palace in wake of his Father. Georgiana thought of the place as ruggedly beautiful, like the old castles of Midgard, with an echo of the past still locked away deep within, and she said as much to Laufey, who appreciated the compliment, and Loki felt proud of her._

_“I think you’ve chosen well, Loki,” Laufey murmured to him, secretively. “She is a truly remarkable young woman.”_

_Loki flushed. “I think so too.”_

_“She will make a fine Queen for you,” Laufey went on, and when Loki glanced up at him in surprise, he smiled. “I am not blind, Loki. I know you’ve fallen for her, and she for you.”_

_“She must be the first human to ever fall for a Frost Giant,” Loki murmured. “Do you think...we_ can _have a future together?”_

_“I do,” Laufey answered, honestly._

_Loki caught Georgiana’s eye and smiled at her, feeling a rush of pride when she returned it. All too soon, it was time for her to leave and Loki walked with her to the spot where the Bifrost would take her home again, a little unwilling to let her leave in all honesty._

_“You know, I’ve never seen my Father take to someone the way he’s taken to you before,” he admitted to her as they left the palace._

_Georgiana smiled. “I was worried he might not like me.”_

_Loki gave her a look. “How can anyone_ not _like you, Georgiana?”_

_She shrugged. “Well, growing up,_ you _were my only friend, remember?”_

_“Well, yes, but I always thought that that was just because you were always saving yourself for me,” Loki teased and they both laughed._

_Georgiana hesitated before daring to ask “Would it be alright if I came back here? Sometime?”_

_“Darling, of course,” Loki replied, surprised that she even felt the need to ask that question. “You’re welcome here anytime.”_

_Georgiana smiled. “When exactly did you start calling me “darling,” Loki?”_

_Loki flushed. “I’m not entirely sure.”_

_Georgiana pressed closer to him, slipping her arm through his. “Well, I like it.”_

_They reached the spot and Loki turned to her. “Good birthday, then?”_

_Georgiana nodded. “The best, Loki.”_

_This time, Loki was able to kiss her without interruption._

_A few more years passed, five to be precise, years that were filled with laughter and snowball fights and Jotunheim dinners and kisses, a great many kisses, and soon Georgiana felt that the time had come to tell her Mother about her relationship with Loki. After all, in Midgard most people did ask permission from the parents of the one they were looking to court before they went about courting them and though her Mother was a little more open and relaxed about such matters than most, Georgiana still felt that she ought to have her permission for such a thing._

_The question was, how to break the news to her Mother that her beloved was actually a Frost Giant from another realm?_

_In the end, she sought help from Laufey, who volunteered to accompany her and Loki to her home and talk matters through with her Mother. Of course, Margaret was surprised to meet these two new people, under their Aesir guises again, but pleased to hear that her daughter had met someone, and even more impressed by Loki’s royal status. Then, Laufey requested a private word with her and the two went into her private parlour alone, leaving Georgiana and Loki pacing the corridor, wondering what was going on, although they both had a feeling that this was Laufey’s way of revealing his true form to Margaret and showing her that, contrary to their looks, Frost Giants were not monsters. Georgiana silently thanked whatever Gods were out there that her Mother wasn’t one to judge by appearances._

_After what seemed like hours, the door opened and Laufey called “Loki, could you come in here a minute, please?”_

_With a frown, Loki took a step forwards and then, as an afterthought, took Georgiana’s hand and gave it a brief squeeze. “I’m sure everything’s fine,” he said, softly._

_She nodded and motioned for him to go in. Once she was alone, she sank into a chair and leaned back against the wall, crossing her fingers for luck. Through the thick wooden parlour doors, she couldn’t hear anything at all, but she assumed that the lack of screams were a good sign._

_Then, suddenly, the door opened and she jumped as Loki came out, looking slightly stunned. Before she could say anything, however, he held out a hand to help her to her feet. “Walk with me?”_

_She nodded, startled, and allowed him to lead her out into the garden. “Loki, what is it? Is everything alright?”_

_Loki turned to her, looking slightly nervous and took her other hand in his. “Georgiana, I love you.”_

_She blinked. “And I love you, Loki.”_

_“So, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?” Loki asked, all nerves suddenly fading away._

_Georgiana was startled but only for a second as she laughed “Well, yes, of course I will!”_

_Loki caught hold of her as she flung her arms around his neck and lifted her up off her feet in the most enthusiastic hug ever. “Is that what all this has been about?” Georgiana laughed, clinging to him. “Our parents talking and then wanting to talk to you?”_

_“I’m afraid so, Georgiana.” They both turned to see Laufey and Margaret smiling at them from the doorway. “Welcome to the family,” Laufey added, kindly._

_Georgiana smiled as Loki set her back down on her feet. Margaret came up to hug her. “Mama, you’re really alright with this?” Georgiana asked, quietly. “I mean, I know it’s probably not what you expected.”_

_“No, it isn’t,” her Mother admitted, releasing her. “But if this makes you happy, darling, then I am happy for you. Both of you,” she added, smiling kindly at Loki._

_Loki returned it, gratefully. “I promise I’ll take care of her.”_

_“I’m sure you will,” Margaret smiled, and then to Georgiana, “but you had better visit me as often as possible, young lady. I don’t think I’ll be able to manage a world made of ice with_ my _knees. And that goes for all of you,” she added, looking at Laufey. “Don’t be strangers; you will always be welcome in this household.”_

_Laufey bowed. “As you will always be in ours.”_

_In the end, it was decided that a Jotun ceremony would be carried out in the grounds so that Margaret would be able to see daughter married. In Georgiana’s mind, a Jotun marriage ceremony felt more meaningful than a Midgard one, because there was a lot of talk about what a marriage entailed as well as talk about love and respect and the ritual involving their joined hands being bound with a ribbon over a fire which then had salt thrown into it to turn the flames a lovely blue colour felt more significant than a mere exchange of vows. Of course, there were vows made too, but with everything else that the ceremony involved, in the end it just felt better than a Midgard wedding._

_“By the powers bestowed upon me by my ancestors,” the Jotun priest finally declared, “I hereby decree that they be husband and wife, joined in matrimony until death parts them. May they live prosperously and happily for the rest of their lives.”_

_Georgiana smiled as their hands were unbound and then Loki raised one of hers and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I love you,” he mouthed._

_“I love you too,” Georgiana whispered back, so softly that she could barely be heard._

_And that was how the young Jotun Prince gained a Midgardian wife._

_It was easy to get used to a life in Jotunheim, surprisingly. Georgiana supposed that it was because she had always had a fondness for snow and ice anyway, and even though moving outside of the palace called for her to always wrap up warmly in fur-lined clothing and a thick cloak, it felt like a small price to pay for living with the man she loved. Inside the palace, however, many of the rooms were lined with magical stones that could give out heat but in a strange twist didn’t melt the ice floors or palace walls, so she could move from room to room in her normal Midgard clothing._

_Which explained why she had left her room during her “kidnapping” dressed in nothing but her nightgown, because she had not been expecting to leave the confines of the palace at all that evening._

_Now, had Thor been sitting a little nearer to Loki during their meal in Jotunheim, he would have seen rather a different scene to the one he thought he saw._

_After gallantly offering her guests some wine, Georgiana had made her way over to where Loki was waiting for her and asked in a teasing tone “Some more wine, my Lord?”_

_Loki had looked up and smiled at her. “I didn’t know we were so short on kitchen staff that we were resorting to self-service now,” he had quipped, and Georgiana had laughed as she went to place the jug away. As she did so, Loki had added, his expression darkening “Careful of our Aesir visitors, though. I don’t trust the way Prince Thor and his friends are looking at you.” At that, Georgiana had stiffened, a little worried. Prince Thor was a large man, after all, and his friends looked rather strong. The thought of any of them trying to take advantage of her sent a chill through her._

_“They’ll have to be disappointed, then,” she said, ducking her head. “I’m no one’s but yours.”_

_“They’re not going to touch you,” Loki said, taking her hand. Georgiana winced and he got to his feet. “Norns, I’m sorry. I was forgetting,” he muttered, a little annoyed at himself for having done so, before taking her wrist instead, gently, and leading her from the room._

_Once they were safely in the confines of the corridor, Georgiana smiled “You know, I didn’t hurt my other hand by slipping on the steps earlier; you could have just taken that one.”_

_Loki grinned at her and did so. “Sorry. I don’t think my head’s quite with it this evening, after that meeting.”_

_“Oh, yes, I forgot, how did that go?” Georgiana asked, pressing closer to him._

_Loki groaned. “It was the most boring thing I’ve ever sat through in my entire life.”_

_She laughed. “Well, I know it’s not what you want to hear, Loki, but I’m afraid you’ll have to get used to it! After all, you’ll still have to go through them when you’re King of Jotunheim!”_

_“Well, it’ll be different then,” Loki replied._

_“How so?” Georgiana asked._

_Loki pulled her into a hidden recess in the wall with a mischievous grin. “Because_ you _will be suffering right alongside me, my Queen. I’ll make sure of that.”_

_Georgiana let out an indignant laugh which was swiftly cut off as Loki kissed her, something he’d been longing to do since before the meeting began. They stood for a while, wrapped in one another’s embrace, kissing passionately. Five years of marriage onwards and their feelings for one another were just as strong as ever and with no chance of ever diminishing. And it wasn’t just Loki; Georgiana was loved by the people too, because she was kind and could see the beauty beyond their outward appearances. Children especially loved her and since she was so good with them, people often asked her when she would be expecting to bear her own. So far, she hadn’t, but certainly_ not _through lack of trying!_

_“Seriously,” Loki added, breaking away from her for a second and trailing kisses along her neck. “Never leave me alone in a room with Father and the rulers of Asgard ever again. I can’t take it.”_

_Georgiana giggled. “Was the view not lovely without me there then, Loki?”_

_“Not in the slightest,” Loki murmured, making his way back to her lips._

_“Well, then,” Georgiana smiled, taking his hands and pulling him towards the stairs. “Perhaps I can attempt to make it up to you in some way?”_

_“I’m sure I can think of something,” Loki teased, and when they finally reached their room and tumbled into bed together, all thoughts of politics and ties with Asgard and boring meetings finally melted away in his mind as Georgiana finally made him forget all of that with her deep, devoted love for him._

_“Feeling better?” Georgiana murmured later, snuggling up to him beneath their enormous fur blanket that kept them both warm regardless of whether or not they were clothed beneath it._

_“Much,” Loki whispered, kissing her the top of her head. “You are amazing; have I ever told you that before?”_

_“Yes,” Georgiana smiled, “but it’s always lovely to hear it again.”_

_“I love you, Georgiana,” Loki murmured, kissing her forehead this time._

_Georgiana smiled as she reached up to meet his lips with her own again. “I love you too, Loki.”_

_Neither of them had any way of knowing that their happy little world would be shaken the very next night by an Asgard Prince who had made a rather large mistake._

 


	3. All Is Well...For Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

“We’re dead.”

 

It was Fandral who broke the pin-drop silence that had followed Georgiana’s revelation. Even Heimdall, who knew of the situation, was struck dumb, finding nothing that could be said. It was only until Fandral spoke that the others remembered that they could too.

 

“We’re dead,” Fandral repeated, throwing up his hands. “We’ve kidnapped a Jotunheim Princess and now Odin’s going to kill us! We’re dead!”

 

“And I thought _I_ was supposed to be the ominous one,” Hogun muttered.

 

Sif roused herself and turned to Georgiana. “But you were serving at dinner; we thought-”

 

“And have _you_ never offered guests a drink in your own home before?” Georgiana retorted. Now that she had established her position as a member of the Jotunheim Royal Family and had used that status to shame her “kidnappers” into silence, she felt that she could afford to be haughty.

 

Thor shook his head. “But you were Loki’s prisoner! You winced when he touched you and you were afraid of him!”

 

“Afraid?” Georgiana laughed. “Sir, you are much mistaken indeed if that is what you think! I have no reason to be afraid of Loki. He would never hurt me.”

 

“We’re dead,” Fandral started up again. “We’re worse than dead. No, wait, what’s worse than dead? I’ll tell you what’s worse than dead – _we are!”_

 

“Put a sock in it, will you?” Volstagg groused.

 

“He is right,” Heimdall stated, calmly. “You’ve really stirred up a hornet’s nest now, Prince Thor.”

 

Before Thor could respond, Georgiana marched up to him. “Now that we seem to have things cleared up, I demand that you return me to Jotunheim immediately!”

 

Thor had never seen a woman look so fierce before in his entire life, not even Sif in the heat of battle. It suddenly struck him that his mistake could bring about a complete collapse of peace between Asgard and Jotunheim. Nevertheless he had been so certain of what he and his friends had witnessed. “You were hurt,” he insisted, in a low voice. “When he touched you.”

 

Georgiana met his eyes. “I slipped on the steps that day and hurt my hand. It was still aching at dinner; not that my private life is any of _your_ concern.”

 

“But everyone knows Frost Giants are monsters.”

 

Whatever Thor had been expecting her reaction to be, it certainly wasn’t that she would slap him. The sound was so loud in the quiet that everyone else, even Heimdall jumped. Fandral winced in sympathy. Sif blinked in surprise. Hogun sighed. Volstagg’s jaw dropped rather comically.

 

“How dare you?” Georgiana snapped in a fierce whisper. “What gives you the right to call them that when my family have been nothing but generous hosts to you and yours?”

 

Thor stared at her, surprised that she even had the gall _to_ hit a Prince of Asgard. Georgiana took a deep breath and was all prepared to launch into a heartfelt speech about how Frost Giants were not monsters but gentle beings who preferred solitude to the company of others when suddenly a voice louder than her own rang out over the Bifrost Bridge.

 

“Thor!”

 

It was a bark from Odin as he strode up the Bridge to meet them. His good eye was flashing with anger, his cloak billowing regally, as he stopped before his son and their friends, and the woman he knew to be Prince Loki’s wife even if he had never met her personally. Laufey had explained things to him when Odin had noticed the young Midgard woman at dinner and Odin had not thought of the actions that passed between the young couple before they left the room as anything other than romantic teasing, and not as anything untoward.

 

“What have you **done, boy?”** Odin raged, the last two words louder and harsher than the rest.

 

None of the other spoke, they were all waiting for Thor to answer. “Father, I-” Thor began.

 

“King Odin,” Georgiana cut in, turning to him. “I’m am assuming that you had nothing to do with any of this, so perhaps you would be so kind as to return me to my home? My family will be frantic with worry.”

 

Odin nodded, glaring angrily at his son. “Of course, your Highness. Heimdall-”

 

“Yes, of course, Allfather,” Heimdall interrupted, opening the Bifrost.

 

“We thought we were rescuing her,” Thor tried to explain.

 

“Rescuing me?” Georgiana scoffed. “Of course! Because people who are perfectly content with their lives are always in dire need of being rescued, aren’t they?”

 

“Thor, you could have brought war upon Asgard,” Odin hissed. “You could have severely damaged our friendship with the Jotuns and opened our realms to the horror and desolation of war! What on Asgard were you thinking, boy?”

 

“Well, it was an easy mistake-” Sif began and then immediately shut up when Odin glared at her.

 

With a sigh, Georgiana stepped forwards, brushing Thor aside. “Your Majesty, if it was a true accident, then I am willing to let it go. I do not wish for war between us anymore than you do.”

 

Odin nodded, shooting Thor another dark look. “Permit me to escort you back, Princess,” he said. Thor knew that look only too well. It was his famous “I’ll deal with you later” expression. He knew he was in trouble. “I owe your family an explanation.”

 

Georgiana nodded, curtly, and then turned politely to Heimdall. “Thank you, Gatekeper,” she said, nodding her head and then allowing the Bifrost to swallow her up. A second later, Odin followed her and they both landed back on the frozen plains of Jotunheim at exactly the same time. At once she found herself wishing for a cloak; her thin cotton nightgown was only enough to keep her warm underneath a bed lined with thick, warm fur and not the piercing chill of Jotunheim that Frost Giants were immune to.

 

“My Lady, I must apologise on behalf of my idiotic son,” Odin said.

 

“Perfectly alright,” Georgiana insisted, her teeth chattering as she began to move forwards through the snow.

 

_Meanwhile, as Georgiana was being “kidnapped,” or rather forcibly taken from her home, as she thought of it, Loki had been among the other Frost Giants gathered outside, trying to work out why their home was suddenly under attack, and why there was no sign of their attackers._

_A Jotun soldier had just come up to him and Laufey. “My King,” he said, “we have scouted the entire area and there is no sign of any attacking party. But there are footprints in the snow, too small to belong to Frost Giants.”_

_“The Aesir?” Laufey frowned. “This makes no sense. Our meeting was peaceful. Why should they want to attack us?”_

_“A rebel group, perhaps, that want to provoke war?” Loki suggested._

_Before Laufey could respond, they were alerted to the fact that the Bifrost had been opened, and as they all glanced in the direction of the rainbow lights, a piercing scream reached them and Loki felt his heart lurch in fear. He knew that scream._

_“Georgiana!” Feeling it was already too late, he began to run in the direction of the sound. Laufey was able to catch up to him in three large strides. “They’ve taken her!” Loki shouted. “I knew they couldn’t be trusted!”_

_“Loki, calm down,” Laufey said. “There has to be some logical explanation for this.”_

_“The logical explanation is that she’s been abducted!” Loki snapped back. His mind was racing with worry and fear. If anything happened to her..._

It had only been a few minutes since they had been apart, but to both it felt like hours and Georgiana felt almost ready to collapse with the numbness of her limbs brought on by the freezing cold when she heard her name being called. Weak with relief, she looked up to see Loki running towards her and she stopped, holding up her arms.

 

“Loki!” she finally gasped as he reached her and she flung her arms around him, burying herself in his embrace. Even the slight bit of warmth that radiated was enough to give her feeling in her body again. Loki was holding her so tightly that she could barely breathe but she didn’t care, she was just glad to be in his arms again.

 

“What happened?” Loki demanded, glancing at Odin, and then before she could answer, added “Norns, you’re frozen solid!” and draped his own cloak around her shoulders.

 

“I’m alright,” Georgiana replied, pulling it tightly about her body. “Just a bit shaken, that’s all.”

 

Odin bowed his head as Laufey approached them. “Laufey, I must apologise for this matter. I’m afraid my son got it into his head that, as a Midgardian, Princess Georgiana was in need of rescuing and didn’t realise that he was in fact dragging her away from home for no reason. I can only offer my sincerest apologies.”

 

Loki stared at him. “Why on Jotunheim should he think a thing like that?”

 

“Loki, please,” Georgiana insisted, still shivering. “I don’t want a fuss made.”

 

Quashing down his fury, Loki turned to her. “You need to get inside, now,” he said, putting an arm around her waist and leading her away from the group. Georgiana pressed closer to him, tucking herself into his side for any available warmth. Even when she was relieved to be back inside the palace, the cold remained with her and Loki quickly steered her without delay in the direction of their room. Once inside, met with the heat from the wall stones, Georgiana scrabbled into bed, pulling the furs around her and Loki climbed in beside her, wrapping her in a tight hug, both for warmth and from sheer relief at having her back again.

 

“What happened?” he asked in a calmer tone. “Tell me everything.”

 

Georgiana buried her face in his chest. “Well, I know you told me to stay put, and I swear I wasn’t going to leave the palace, but I couldn’t just stay _here_ not knowing what was going on.”

 

“No, I know, darling,” Loki murmured, kissing the top of her head. “That was asking far too much of you.”

 

Georgiana gave him a feeble punch on the arm and he chuckled. “I was worried, alright? Anyway, someone grabbed my arm and I thought it was one of the guards, but it was two of Prince Thor’s friends, one standing on top of the other’s shoulders, wearing a long cloak. The next thing I knew, they had grabbed me and pulled me out into the snow, and then the Bifost took us to Asgard.” Her voice took on an edge of irritation. “And then they told me that I was your _prisoner;_ can you believe it? Of all the stupid, thick-headed, unintelligent, dense idiots! How dare they make such an assumption that I’m your _prisoner;_ your _whore?_ How dare they think of you as such a hard-hearted monster that you would do that to _anyone?”_

 

“Not everyone is as kind to Frost Giants as you and your mother,” Loki replied, pulling her closer still. Georgiana wrapped her arms around him, feeling warmer again. They were quiet for a moment and then Loki pressed a soft kiss to her temple. “I thought for second I’d lost you, Georgiana.”

 

“I know,” Georgiana replied, her voice no longer laced with anger or indignation. “I mean, I know it was only for a few minutes but I hated every single second of being away from you.”

 

“So did I,” Loki murmured into her hairline. “Gods, I was thinking all sorts of things. I was having visions of them hurting you, or worse.”

 

Georgiana laughed softly. “You think I can’t take care of myself, Loki Laufeyson?”

 

“No, I know you can, my love,” Loki replied, smiling for the first time that evening, “but you would have been outnumbered, don’t forget.”

 

Georgiana made a small hum of agreement. “This could seriously damage our relationship with Asgard.”

 

To be perfectly honest, Loki didn’t care one way or the other if it did. To his mind, Frost Giants didn’t need the protection of Asgard in the heat of battle when they were not only more than capable of holding their own against any attacking race but were also vastly more intelligent, and it was intelligence that won battles after all, tactics and planning, not mere brawn. If they stopped being allies with the Asgardians, it couldn’t make that big a difference.

 

“You should sleep,” he murmured, unwrapping the cloak from her shoulders and tossing it onto a nearby stool. “You’ve had quite an ordeal.”

 

Georgiana nodded and lay down, feeling that nothing was nicer in that moment than the feel of the fur-lined pillows, sheet and coverlet. It was comforting, like coming back home. “Stay with me?” she whispered, sliding her hand into Loki’s and intertwining their fingers together.

 

Loki smiled at her. “Always, love.”

 

He lay down beside her, wrapping both arms protectively around her. Georgiana snuggled against him. “What _was_ going on out there, anyway?” she asked, realising that she didn’t know. With all that had happened she had forgotten to ask the Asgardians what they had done to the palace to sent everyone running around like that.

 

“Somehow our Aesir _friends,”_ and Loki couldn’t help saying the word with contempt, “damage the top of the North-West tower and several of the battlements. They’re not too badly ruined, we can easily repair them. I suppose that was meant to serve as a distraction to get us out of the way whilst they snuck in to kidnap you.”

 

“Well, they thought they were _rescuing_ me,” Georgiana sighed, “and I’m not angry at them for actually taking me away; I’m angry that they just assumed that I was some kind of prisoner or sex slave here.” She nuzzled against his chest. “I hate anyone thinking badly of you and our family.”

 

Loki said nothing, just played absently with a strand of her hair, and Georgiana left him to his private thoughts. After all, with everything that had happened tonight and what with being rather rudely woken in the middle of the night anyway by the sound of her home being wrecked, she was feeling quite tired and so she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep, lulled by the warmth of being home and being in Loki’s arms again. Loki, however, lay awake for a while, thinking bitter thoughts about the Asgardians and praying to all the Gods and Norns and other deities out there that he would never ever have anything to do with Prince Thor ever again.

 

Because due to what had just happened, in spite of it having been a genuine mistake, Loki couldn’t help but hate him in that moment.

 

Meanwhile, as he watched his son and daughter-in-law hurry ing back towards the palace, Laufey felt a mixture of emotions fill him. The first was relief at having Georgiana back, for in the years he had known her he had come to love her as if she was his own daughter and not just his son’s wife, and he had always regarded her as part of the family. In some ways she reminded him very much of his dear Farbauti and he was grateful to the Gods for sending such a woman into his son’s life. The second emotion, however, was a combination of confusion and pain, and he turned back to Odin with a grave expression on his face.

 

“Am I to understand it that your son thought mine so callous as to truly believe that we were keeping a Midgardian woman prisoner under our control? After meeting us and seeing that we are not the monsters everyone else calls us?” he asked. “Does he really believe we are so savage and low?”

 

Odin looked genuinely apologetic. “I am afraid that the only explanation I can give for his actions, Laufey, is that Thor has grown up believing in the stories spread by the Dark Elves and their kin and taken them to heart as the truth instead of looking for the plain facts. I wish I could offer anything but my apologies, but they are all I have. I am not trying to excuse my son’s actions, but merely state the facts. Thor is not the kind of man who would abduct a woman unless he truly believed his intentions were good. He made an honest mistake. I can only ask that this not affect our political alliance in any way.”

 

“I don’t see how it cannot, Odin,” Laufey replied, calmly. “Whilst I may not perceive this action as a threat, I cannot speak for my son. After all, he loves Georgiana the most of anyone here, and if it was your wife who had been taken, even by accident, how would you feel about this?”

 

“I understand your feelings,” Odin replied, “but it is vital that we do not allow this incident to cause a rift between our realms. If that happens, then either one of us is vulnerable to attack. Believe me when I say that I regret that this has happened and I regret even more that it has happened at the hands of _my_ son. I will speak to him.”

 

Laufey nodded. “I will speak to mine too. Not just now, though; Georgiana needs him. But you are right, of course. We cannot let this matter tear a wound in our alliance.”

 

Odin nodded too. “Then it still stands?”

 

One of the Jotun soldiers made an indignant grunt. “My King, you cannot let such a thing pass! The Princess was abducted!”

 

“And she was also returned, do you forget that, Captain?” Laufey replied, his tone testy.

 

His Captain of the Guards bowed his head and said nothing. Laufey turned back to Odin. “Our alliance still stands Odin.”

 

Odin smiled. “Once again, I am sorry that this happened.”

 

Laufey nodded. “So am I, Odin,” he said. “So am I.”

 

Odin could not have been more angry as he made his way via Bifrost back Asgard. Thor and his friends hadn’t moved from where he had left them standing. After Odin had gone after Georgiana into Jotunheim, they had stood for a moment, watching the spot where he had disappeared from and once again it had been Fandral who had broken the silence with a half-hearted “Well, that could have gone worse.” Since then, none of them had uttered a word.

 

They all looked up when Odin reappeared before them. “You’re dismissed,” he said to Sif and the Warriors Three, and they all shot Thor apologetic looks as they left, clearly wanting to be with him throughout his scolding. Thor just shrugged at them and waited until they had gone before attempting to speak again. “Father-”

 

“Do you have any idea what you could have done?” Odin interrupted, tersely.

 

Thor sighed. If there was one thing he hated, it was being told off and if there was another thing he hated, well, it was admitting that he was wrong. He said nothing, unsure of whether or not the question was rhetorical. At any rate, his Father wasn’t finished yet.

 

“Don’t you realise what could have happened if the Jotuns had decided to break our alliance? What were you thinking of, boy?” Thor winced, hating being referred to as such when he was clearly a man now. “Taking an innocent young woman from her home-?”

 

“I didn’t know!” Thor’s temper had finally boiled over. Why could no one see _his_ side of the story? “I didn’t know that she was the Princess of Jotunheim! I didn’t even know that they _had_ a Princess in Jotunheim! And even if I had, can you blame me for my mistake? The woman is from Midgard; what was I meant to think?”

 

Odin was quiet a moment. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, eventually.

 

“It means,” Thor replied, breathlessly, “that if someone were to tell me that the Jotun Prince had taken a Midgard woman for a wife, I would not have believed that even if I had seen it with my own eyes!”

 

“And why not?” Odin snapped back. “It is not unheard of for a Midgardian to learn of the existence of the Nine Realms and to engage in a relationship with one race or another. Uncommon, perhaps, but not unheard of. Plenty enough people here in Asgard have had Midgardian lovers; your own friend Volstagg is one such-”

 

“That’s different!” Thor snapped.

 

Again, Odin was silent a while before responding. “How? How is it different?”

 

“Because Volstagg is Volstagg,” Thor replied. “He at least looks human.”

 

“Thor-”

 

“How can a Midgardian fall in love with a Frost Giant? It’s impossible!”

 

Odin couldn’t have looked more stunned if his son had punched him. “I didn’t bring you up to be like this,” he said, a harsh quality in his voice. “I brought you up to have a respect for all races within the Nine Realms.”

 

“And I do,” Thor began.

 

“Then where does this racist attitude towards Frost Giants suddenly spring from?” Odin asked, hardly able to believe that his son had said such a thing.

 

“Forgive me if I find the idea of a marriage between a human woman and a Frost Giant strange,” Thor tried to start again, “but-”

 

“It is not your place to question!” Odin snapped. “Nor is it your place to judge another race by its actions, especially when that race is not your own! I only thank the Gods that the Jotuns aren’t planning to wage war against us in revenge; or to abandon us in the heat of war. You could have ruined our alliance for good, and all because of your thoughtlessness.”

 

Thor took a deep breath. “I made a mistake, I admit it-”

 

“It was not down to you to get involved,” Odin interrupted. “Even if the woman _was_ a prisoner, or the Prince’s whore, it was not your place to attempt to liberate her.”

 

“So, I am supposed to just stand by and watch whilst such things happen right in front of me and not do anything about them?” Thor demanded.

 

“When they are not happening within the borders of your own realm, yes!” Odin snapped. “Did you not listen when your Mother told you to respect the Jotun in whatever they do? Did those words mean nothing to you?”

 

“I didn’t think they applied to captive Midgardians!” Thor retorted.

 

“Be that as it may, the fact still remains that the woman was not a captive of theirs, and you could have-!”

 

“I know, brought war upon Asgard and damaged our relationship with Jotunheim!” Thor interrupted, hotly. “I made a mistake! But from the way he looked to be treating her-!”

 

“So a man may not be allowed to tease his wife from now on in case someone from another realm mistakes it for some sinister form of treatment,” Odin cut in.

 

“He grabbed her hand and she looked to be in pain!” Thor responded, feeling that it was an effort to try and make his Father see sense now. “I didn’t know that she was already in pain and that it was an accident; it looked like he was hurting her on purpose!”

 

“But even if he was, it is not for you to say how a Jotun may treat another person!” Odin shouted, and then he shook his head, regretfully. “No, forget it. No matter how much I shout at you, I can’t make it sink in. You’ve been manipulated by all those horror stories you heard as a child so you fail to see what is in front of you.”

 

Thor looked at his feet. “Frost Giants are monsters.”

 

“Why? Because they are not like us?” Odin challenged. “We are all different throughout the Nine Realms, Loki, but we are all the same underneath, and until you realise that, then I’m afraid I cannot forgive you your mistake this time.”

 

Thor jerked his head up at once. “Father-!”

 

“No!” Odin snapped, striding past him. “You have no excuse for it, but pure pig-headed thoughtlessness! It would do you good to spend some more time with Frost Giants; then perhaps you would forget these xenophobic objections you have towards their kind and learn to appreciate all those lessons I have tried to insert into your head all your life! Now it seems I have failed!” He turned to face his son and Thor was surprised to see that his Father looked not angry but pained. “I’m disappointed in you, Thor. I thought you would grow up to be a great King someday. But it seems you still have a long way to go before you’re ready for that.”

 

It was only when his Father reached the end of the Bifrost that Thor felt he was able to call out “Father!” Odin stopped but didn’t turn around. Thor felt his shoulders slump. He had brought shame on his Father. “I’m sorry.”

 

Odin half-turned to him. “So am I, boy. So am I.”

 

Thankfully, the rest of the night in Jotunheim passed without further incident and Georgiana was surprised when she woke up in the morning and found that she was alone in her bed.

 

“Loki?” she murmured, pushing herself up and rubbing her eyes. There was no sign of him in the room, but then her eyes fell on a small crystal vase by the bed filled with dozens of _Eisblumen_ and beside them a small note written on cream paper with green ink. She smiled and leaned forwards to retrieve it.

 

 _“Georgiana,”_ it ran, _“Father knocked this morning, wanting to speak to me in private, and I didn’t want to wake you up, so don’t worry if you do wake up and find me gone. I will be back as soon as possible, cross my heart. In the meantime, please accept my apologies for not being able to wake up with you and these Eisblumen as an apology gift. All my love, Loki.”_

She smiled and plucked one of the flowers from the vase, breathing in its heavenly scent and remembering the first time she had done so. Loki was so spontaneously romantic when it came to showing his affection towards her and she loved him for that. Already she felt a little better after what had happened the night before. Swinging her legs out of bed, she slipped on her fur-lined slippers and padded into the bathroom. In spite of it being icy cold outside and the fact that many Frost Giants bathed in cold water, the room was always magically stocked with hot water for her convenience. It had been Laufey’s idea, something of a wedding gift to her, and she was always grateful that he had thought like this, changing certain aspects of the palace to suit both her and the Frost Giants who inhabited it so that there were no complaints. He was very wise that way, she reflected, no wonder he made for such a good King.

 

She bathed quickly and dressed in one of her favourite fur-lined green tunics, threaded with gold, over fur-lined black hose and her boots, and quickly tied her hair back in a loose, low ponytail with a black ribbon before making her way towards the window balcony, one of the flowers still twirling in her hands. The room they occupied looked out over the whole of Jotunheim and she was in time to see the final minutes of the sunrise as it lit the whole realm in bright dazzling white and icy-cold blue. She smiled. This was her home. If she was perfectly honest, she had always felt like something of an outside back on Midgard, but here in Jotunheim, she felt like she fitted in, even if she was not Jotun-born herself. The other Frost Giants had, like her Mother, been surprised when she had married Loki, but they had soon come to admire and love her, and accept her as their Jotunheim Princess. Of course, life here had its ups and downs, such as slipping on an icy patch on the stairs the other night, for example, but she was still happy to be living there.

 

Even if stupid Asgardians did mistake her for a prisoner once in a while.

 

The door opened behind her and she turned from her spot leaning on the balcony to see Loki enter the room. She smiled, with mock coyness. “Why, good morning, my Prince,” she teased, turning to him fully with the flower still in her hand.

 

Loki smiled. “Good morning, my Princess,” he replied, cupping her face and kissing her.

 

Georgiana giggled as he finally pulled away from her and brushed the tip of his nose with the flower petals. “The first present you ever gave me,” she reminded him, smiling. “You’re so romantic, you know?”

 

“I try,” Loki teased, spinning her about in his arms and kissing her neck.

 

Georgiana closed her eyes and reached up a hand to stroke his hair. “So, what did your Father want?”

 

“To talk to me about what happened last night,” Loki replied, nuzzling her skin for a second. “Apparently we’re still allies with Asgard.”

 

“Oh, good,” Georgiana sighed, with relief. “I wouldn’t want two realms to start a war because of me. After all, the battle of Troy happened because of a woman.”

 

Loki looked up at her in surprise. “The battle of what?”

 

Georgiana smiled, turned and slipped her arms around his neck. “I’ll explain it to you some time, my love,” she murmured, before capturing his lips in a kiss that would have put the sun to shame.

 


	4. Famine, Fertility and Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

“How are you feeling this morning, Georgiana?” Laufey asked her at breakfast. “After last night?”

 

Georgiana smiled, radiantly. Loki admired her for being so brave throughout her ordeal. She had gone into more detail about what had passed between her and the Aesir who had taken her, and he had been more than just a little impressed by her defiance in the face of her “kidnappers,” regardless of whether that term could now be used loosely or not. At times like this, he was immensely proud to have her as his wife.

 

“Much better now, thank you,” she replied, politely. “Just glad to be home.” Her use of the word brought a smile to the Jotun King’s face. “I mean, it must seem like I’m making mountains out of molehills because it was a genuine accident,” Georgiana went on, devouring her spoonful of _cremegekocht_ before going on, “but it’s not really what you expect on a normal night, to be woken up by someone destroying your home and then pulling you into another realm.”

 

Laufey nodded. “Well, thankfully, this won’t affect our relationship with the Aesir.” Georgiana smiled. Loki, however, avoided his Father’s gaze so that he wouldn’t know his son was still inwardly seething about all this. Before anyone could say anything else, the doors opened and in walked a Jotun dressed in similar clothing to the Jotun guards, but with the addition of a dark blue sash over worn from one shoulder across and down his chest, like a quiver, showing his higher status.

 

“Ah, Gunnarr,” Laufey addressed his Prime Minister, cordially. “Now, tell us the state of affairs since our last meeting.”

 

Gunnarr nodded politely to Loki and Georgiana and then took a deep breath before laying down the scroll he was holding in one hand. “Bad business amongst the people, I’m afraid, Your Majesty, terrible news. It’s Frost Famine, I’m afraid, and a worse case of it than the last time, I’m told.”

 

Laufey took the scroll and unrolled it. Loki and Georgiana got to their feet and stood over his shoulder to read it. It was a record of the agricultural state of Jotunheim, and even a fool could see that it did not contain good news. The list of produce for the people who grew it had diminished dramatically from the numbers it ought to have been showing. Frost Famine was an awful thing, because unlike an infestation of Black Locusts or an outbreak of Ground Blight, which killed the poisonous and non-digestible plants in the realm, the parasites of Frost Famine fed on the plants which the Jotuns themselves fed on, leaving only the poisonous and indigestible ones free of rot.

 

“It’s spreading very rapidly,” Georgiana pointed out, running her finger down the list to emphasise just how quickly the figures had gone down.

 

Gunnarr nodded. “And I’m told it has not yet hit the palace, Majesty, but it is on its way.”

 

Laufey also nodded. “Thank goodness someone informed us before it was too late this time. We need to break into the preservative stores and distribute enough for the people to live on until we can make the soil inhabitable for plants again.”

 

“Someone should inform Verdandi that we’re in urgent need of _heirlinerde,”_ Loki added, referring to the resident potion maker and her special cure for infected soil in the same sentence.

 

“Yes,” Laufey agreed, “and copious amounts of it too. I trust I can leave you to do that?” he added, looking at his son.

 

Loki nodded. “I’ll go right now,” he said, pressing a quick, apologetic kiss to Georgiana’s hand before hurrying from the room.

 

“According to the records, those suffering the worst are out by the Eissee Plain,” Gunnarr began but Laufey straightened up and lay a hand on his shoulder, cutting him off before he could finish.

 

“Everywhere will be suffering because of this,” he said. “Let it be known that all who are severely affected by this must come to the palace for food rations right away, and must keep doing that until the soil is cleansed.”

 

“Right away, Sire,” Gunnarr agreed, bowing swiftly to them both before hurrying from the room.

 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Georgiana asked.

 

Laufey smiled at her. “I know you have an appointment with Urd now, but perhaps when you’re done you can come and help me distribute the rations?”

 

“Yes, of course,” Georgiana replied, willingly. “And the sooner I get to Urd, the sooner I can do that.”

 

“Very well,” Laufey replied. “When you’re done, I shall be in the East Wing, hopefully with Loki.”

 

Georgiana laughed, softly, and then hurried on her way to the South Chamber, which was dedicated to the resident Jotun healers. She, like Loki and Laufey, had her own personal healer, who was a woman by the name of Urd. Laufey had picker her out to be his future daughter-in-law’s personal healer the day before her marriage to Loki, and the two women got on well together. Urd was a handsome, strong, capable Jotun woman who knew exactly what she was doing when it came to both healing and advice, and quite often Georgiana would find herself going to visit her for both. On this occasion, however, she only had to see her for a physical check-up, which was something of an annual thing for her, especially in the light of her being a Midgardian living in Jotunheim, no one ever wanted her to take too many chances when she could easily be susceptible to illnesses or fevers that they themselves were immune to.

 

“How are you feeling this morning, my Lady?” Urd greeted her as she walked into the room.

 

Georgiana smiled. “Very well, thank you, Urd. Although I did slip and hurt my hand a few days ago, but it was only bruised.”

 

“I had better check just in case,” Urd replied in her low voice as Georgiana climbed up onto the medical table. She took the small white hand gently in her own two large blue ones and examined it, feeling gently along the bones and soft flesh for anything worse than bruising. “No, you haven’t broken anything. How did it happen?”

 

“I slipped on a stray patch of ice on the steps,” Georgiana explained. “It looked like someone had been cleaning them, or had an accident with some water and forgotten to clear it up.”

 

“Oh, dear, I imagine Prince Loki wasn’t happy about that,” Urd smiled, winking at her.

 

Georgiana laughed. “No, he did get quite cross. But only because he’s so protective of me.”

 

Urd nodded and then turned her back, pulling the curtain around the bed that would block her and her patient from view of anyone else who should happen to come in. That was one thing that Georgiana had been grateful for upon first arriving in Jotunheim, that Frost Giants had some concept of dignity. She quickly undressed herself and lay back on the fur-covered table, covered as such for her convenience, ready for Urd to prod her about a bit and carry out her full examination.

 

“When was the last time you were ill at all, my Lady?” Urd asked, checking her temperature.

 

Georgiana thought back. “Probably that time I had influenza about six months ago.”

 

“Ah, yes, of course it was,” Urd nodded, checking her medical records. “And you’ve not had anything like a cold or some other kind of sickness since?”

 

Georgiana bit back a laugh at the idea of catching a cold in a place like Jotunheim. So far, living in this place, it was one of the few illnesses she hadn’t had. “No, everything’s been healthy and normal as far as I can see.”

 

“Good, in that case, this shouldn’t take too long, then,” Urd replied, briskly as she pulled out her necessary equipment, already sterilised and ready to use. Georgiana remained quiet and still, trusting her completely, as she was once again put through the rigmarole of inspection followed by palpation, percussion and auscultation. Then came the intimate procedures of examining her breasts and genitalia and once again she thanked Laufey in her head for assigning her a female healer for such matters.

 

“There was something I wanted to ask,” she said, after Urd had declared her breasts perfectly healthy.

 

“Oh, yes?” Urd asked, kindly.

 

Georgiana took a deep breath, knowing that she was blushing as she asked “I just wanted to check, well, am I fertile?”

 

“Oh,” Urd smiled. “Well, I can certainly find out for you, that’s not a problem.”

 

“It’s just that Loki and I are trying,” Georgiana added, thoughtfully, “and I just wanted to make sure, well, that he’s not disappointed. I mean, you know, in case I can’t...”

 

“Bear children?” Urd smiled. “I’m sure he won’t love you any less if there is a problem with either one of you, but I can also check with Vidar if you want to-”

 

“Oh, I know that Loki’s fertile,” Georgiana smiled. “I asked him to take a test during his last appointment. I just thought it was best to wait for mine to ask you rather than disturb you when you might be busy.”

 

Urd smiled at her. She was very fond of the young Princess, her reason being the same as that of many of the other Frost Giants in Jotunheim; because she was very kind and considerate of others. She was the People’s Princess, and they loved her, and she loved them, always looking on them with a smile and a kind word. She busied herself with finishing Georgiana’s pelvic examination and then set about with her fertility test. Georgiana awaited for her to finish with bated breath. “The results will take a few minutes to come through,” Urd told her when she was finished, “so I suggest you get dressed again while we wait.”

 

“Thank you,” Georgiana replied, moving slowly off the table and pulling her clothes back on again. It was something of a relief to be dressed again, for if she was perfectly honest the only person she ever wanted to have to see her completely undressed was Loki. Of course, she knew that Urd was a healer and she had probably seen more than her fair share of naked bodies in her time as one, so there was no real reason for her to feel uncomfortable being so in her presence, but all the same she would rather be wearing her clothes to talk with her. If anything, it was harder to think about anything when bare, unless of course she was with Loki, and being undressed in front of someone other than him sometimes left her feeling somewhat vulnerable.

 

“Well, my Lady,” Urd smiled when she was dressed, “I can confirm that you are indeed fertile, and that there is no reason at all that you and your husband cannot have children.”

 

Georgiana felt a rush of relief and she squeezed the woman’s hands. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

 

“Part of my job,” Urd reminded her, lightly. “If it hasn’t happened for you two yet, it doesn’t mean that it never will. I’ve seen plenty of perfectly fertile women worry about this and then often bear more than one child at the same time.”

 

“Goodness!” Georgiana laughed. “Imagine giving birth to triplets or something!”

 

“I don’t need to imagine,” Urd replied with a proud smile. “I have done it myself.”

 

The women laughed together and then Georgiana gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Well, then, wish me luck,” she smiled. “King Laufey may yet hear the pitter-patter of little feet around the palace some time soon.”

 

Urd laughed. “Then I wish you all the best, my Lady.”

 

Georgiana smiled and left the room, hurrying as quickly as she could without slipping towards the East Wing. Laufey smiled at her as she entered the room, as did many of the Frost Giant farmers and workers who had already come to receive their rations from the stores. Georgiana smiled back and went to take her place beside Laufey as Gunnarr asked each Jotun “So, how many are in your family?” before distributing the food as necessary per number of people in each household.

 

Presently she encountered a few faces she knew well; Gitte, a widowed Jotun farmer and her only daughter Kjellfrid, who was only eight and a little taller than she was. She had met them both several times during her time in Jotunheim and she considered them both friends. Sympathy filled her heart as she remembered how they must be suffering since they lived in the Eissee Plain, where Gunnarr had said the worst sufferers lived, and she busied herself with sorting their rations for them, secretly sneaking a little extra in for them when no one else was looking.

 

“Gods bless you, my King,” Gitte said to Laufey, who smiled kindly at her, and then to Georgiana, “and you, my Lady, for your kindness.”

 

“Please, what kind of people would we be if we let others starve?” Georgiana asked, holding up the enormous sackful of food; well, it seemed enormous to her because of her size, but to a Frost Giant it was normal sized. Then, she smiled as Kjellfrid shyly held out a small bunch of _Kaltetulpe_ flowers she had picked and took them from her. “Oh, why thank you, Kjellfrid, they’re lovely.”

 

Kjellfrid smiled back at her as her Mother led her away so that the next family could receive their rations.

 

“I saw that,” a voice whispered in her ear and she turned with a frown to Loki.

 

“I can’t think what you’re talking about,” she whispered back, thankful that Laufey’s attention was on the other workers and not the two of them.

 

“The extra rations,” Loki murmured and when she stiffened, he smiled at her. “Don’t worry, love, your secret’s safe with me. Besides we have plenty to spare.”

 

Georgiana relaxed. “I’m sorry, it’s just they’re my friends and-”

 

“I know, darling,” Loki interrupted, kissing her temple. “You don’t have to explain.” He chuckled at her slightly startled expression. “You really are the most kind-hearted woman in Jotunheim.”

 

Georgiana smiled in relief. “I have news for you, by the way. I had a fertility test with Urd just now.”

 

Loki’s eyes widened slightly, hopefully. “And?”

 

“And I’m perfectly fertile, so there’s no reason we can’t have children someday,” Georgiana replied, proudly.

 

Loki beamed at her as he kissed her. “I love you, Georgiana.”

 

“I love you too, Loki,” Georgiana smiled, before turning her attention back to the matter at hand.

 

“Ah, Loki,” Laufey said, finally noticing his presence. “How are we doing on the _heirlinerde_ front?”

“It’s already being mixed as we speak,” Loki reported. “Verdandi thinks it should be ready in an hour or two.”

 

“Excellent,” Laufey approved, before turning back to Gunnarr. “Let it be known that further action is already being taken against this crisis.”

 

“Yes, Sire,” Gunnarr replied, summoning one of his servants and relaying the information to him. Only a few Frost Giant families in dire need now remained and once they were quickly dealt with, after which Laufey went to check on the state of affairs with Verdandi and Loki and Georgiana decided to do the same with the rest of the kingdom.

 

“This is terrible,” Georgiana sighed, pulling at a stray root in the ground blackened already by the parasites. “Look at it all.”

 

Loki gave her hand a squeeze. “Jotunheim’s come through worse than this before. It’s lucky that we were prepared this time.”

 

“I suppose you’re right,” Georgiana agreed, dropping the crumbling root and slipping her arm through his. “Still...I don’t know, I just don’t like seeing this place looking so forlorn.”

 

Loki was about to reply when the sound of the Bifrost being opened caused them both to whip around at once. Automatically, Georgiana gripped Loki’s arm a little tighter, and Loki readied himself to pull out a weapon just in case this was some kind of hostile attack. Both of them were rather surprised to see that it was Odin and a woman that neither of them recognised.

 

Odin bowed his head as they approached. “Prince Loki, Princess Georgiana,” he said, politely.

 

Loki relaxed when he was certain that Thor wasn’t about to arrive by Bifrost either. “King Odin,” he returned, “we’re not at war, are we?”

 

“No, no,” Odin smiled, “this is a social call. I suppose, well, I wanted to check that you weren’t too shaken up by what happened yesterday, Princess Georgiana. My wife was rather concerned.”

 

“Oh, how kind,” Georgiana smiled, nodding to the woman standing behind Odin. “Thank you.”

 

Loki nodded too, appreciatively. After all, Odin believed in the old hospitable ways of being neighbourly towards his fellow men, and it did show that what had happened had truly been a mistake.

 

“Well, we’ve not yet met and I’m sorry that it has to be under such circumstances,” the woman replied, holding out her hand and Georgiana grasped it. “I’m Frigga.”

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you at last, Queen Frigga,” Georgiana replied. “I’m Georgiana, Midgardian as I’m sure you’ve observed.”

 

Frigga smiled. “Yes, indeed, I’m afraid your clothes give it away.”

 

“Oh!” Georgiana laughed. “And here I was hoping to blend into the background!”

 

They all laughed, no feelings of hostility there at all. “I’m afraid you don’t come at a happy time,” Loki added when they had all sobered up. “We’re in the middle of a Frost Famine.”

 

“Oh, I am sorry to hear that,” Odin said, apologetically. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

 

“Thank you, Odin, but we have things well in hands,” came Laufey’s voice from behind them, and the four of them glanced around to see him coming towards them. He smiled calmly at the visiting Aesir, putting them at their ease. “But it is very good of you to offer.”

 

Odin smiled back at him. “Laufey, may I apologise again for-?”

 

“Water under the bridge now, Odin,” Laufey insisted. “Let us never speak of such things again.”

 

“As you wish,” Odin replied.

 

Hoping to ease the very slight tension that was lingering in the air between them, Georgiana smiled “Would you care to join us for lunch? And then perhaps I can show you both around this place, after all Odin, you barely got a chance to see any of it when you were last here.”

 

Loki gave her an admiring smile. “Well, if you’re sure that it’s not too much trouble, then by all means we would be honoured to stay,” Frigga replied and Odin nodded.

 

“Have I ever told you that you’re going to make a wonderful Queen someday?” Loki whispered to her as they led the way back to the palace.

 

“Oh, you’ve never needed to, I always assumed that it was a given,” Georgiana teased back, and then let out a soft gasp as Loki gave her a light, playful tap on the rear with the palm of his hand. “Oh, how dare you strike me, Loki Laufeyson?” she teased, swatting at him.

 

Loki laughed and ducked. “Am I in trouble?”

 

“Oh, yes,” Georgiana replied, smiling. “You just wait until we’re alone, my Prince. I am going to teach you a lesson you will never forget.”

 

“Not if I pin you down and ravish you first, my Princess,” Loki whispered, wickedly, in her ear.

 

“Well, you’ll have to catch me first,” Georgiana laughed, wriggling free of his grip and running into the palace, passing by a few Jotun guards armed with the special spraying equipment for dousing the soil with _heirlinerde_. Loki grinned and ran after her, their laughter carrying behind them for all to hear.

 

“Young love,” Laufey smiled, watching them.

 

“It never dies,” Odin agreed.

 

Georgiana ran into the library, laughing fit to burst by this time, and then a second later realised her mistake, because of course this was the first place Loki would expect her to run to and a second later, she almost cannoned into him. Straightening herself, she frowned. “How did you get here before me?”

 

Then, someone grabbed her from behind and she let out a squeal, which quickly turned into a fit of laughter as she realised it was the real Loki and the one she had almost run into was an illusion. “Well played, my love, but I think I win this round,” he murmured, kissing her neck.

 

“That wasn’t fair!” Georgiana protested. “You cheated!”

 

“Oh, I didn’t know we were playing fair, love,” Loki teased. “You should have told me.”

 

Georgiana let out an indignant laugh. “You cheat and then have the audacity to accuse _me_ of not being clear?”

 

“Oh, I thought you knew what you were marrying into, Georgiana,” Loki murmured, tantalisingly kissing one of her sweet spots and she felt her knees buckle slightly.

 

“Yes, I did,” she breathed, wriggling slightly in his arms, trying to find an escape route. “But don’t go thinking that I’m going to accept defeat so easily, Loki. The second you let go of me-”

 

“Which I don’t plan on doing anytime soon,” Loki interrupted.

 

“Oh, don’t you? Ooh...” Georgiana closed her eyes and relaxed her body against his. “Oh, Loki, what are you doing? You know what that does to me.”

 

“Yes, I do, my love,” Loki breathed, his lips ghosting over her skin.

 

“Oh, Loki...” Georgiana allowed a small moan to slip from her mouth as she pressed her body closer against his, causing him to groan slightly as she pressed against his arousal. “Oh, do you have something there you need to take care of? Only I don’t think that here’s the best place for it when we have guests.”

 

“Yes, you’re right,” Loki agreed, loosening his grip on her and Georgiana saw her chance to duck out of his arms and hurry towards the door. Turning, she laughed at the stunned look on his face.

 

“On second thoughts, Loki, you can deal with it yourself,” she teased.

 

Loki smiled. “You _dare_ to use my own tricks against me, Georgiana?”

 

“Are you impressed?” Georgiana laughed, before hurrying from the room and hurtling up the stairs towards their bedroom. Inside, she quickly hurried out of her tunic and hose, knowing that she had mere seconds before Loki would join her.

 

“The answer,” Loki said, wasting no time with more teasing as he picked her up in his arms and carried her to their bed, “is yes, I am very impressed, Georgiana, you are becoming as mischievous as me.”

 

“Mm, I’ll take that as a compliment, my love,” Georgiana teased, leaning up to kiss him.

 

Their love-making was very short, given that they had limited time in which to do it, but it was still passionate and Georgiana complimented herself afterwards on having done her hair in a style that wasn’t ruined completely by their quick round of being bedded and satisfied.

 

“Oh, and by the way,” she added, lightly smacking Loki on the rear in passing as he opened the door for her, “that is payback for doing that to me in public, Prince Loki.”

 

“Well, I’ve yet to see you teach me a lesson I’ll never forget,” Loki pointed out.

 

“That doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen,” Georgiana teased.

 

If their guests or anyone else had guessed what the young Prince and Princess had been up to during their absence, then naturally they were too polite to draw attention to it. The meal passed without any further awkwardness and by the time it was over, no one could have ever imagined that their political alliance had been in jeopardy only the night before. Afterwards, Frigga accepted Georgiana’s offer of a tour of the palace, whilst Odin allowed Laufey to show him the exact nature of the Frost Famine, and Loki decided to join them when Georgiana mouthed the words “Girls Only,” at him with an apologetic smile.

 

“So, how long have you two been married?” Frigga asked, politely.

 

“Just five years,” Georgiana replied, “but we’ve known each other since we were children. Loki used to come and visit me on Midgard whenever I was feeling down and, well, friendship turned to romance, you know.” She hesitated and then just decided to get it all out in the open. “I know that when you found out that Loki was married I probably wasn’t what you were expecting. It’s alright, though. I mean, not many people expect a Jotun to take a Midgardian wife. My Mother was certainly surprised by it.”

 

“I think,” Frigga replied, tactfully, “that most are just surprised that a Midgardian, or indeed anyone not Jotun by birth, can adapt to living in such conditions that are a far cry from those in your own realm.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “Well, I’ve always preferred the ice and snow anyway. And all the rooms in the palace are heated by those special wall stones that don’t melt the ice, and all my clothes are fur-lined, so adapting to life here was actually fairly easy. Laufey was very considerate in that department. I was actually surprised that he didn’t mind the idea of his son taking someone like _me_ for a wife, but I’ve since learned that Frost Giants are more open-minded about other races than people think.”

 

Frigga smiled and clasped her hands in front of her dress. “It’s sad that some people are still so closed-minded about such a noble race.”

 

“Well, I suppose we can’t change the way people think,” Georgiana replied, wisely. “At any rate, it works for us, and we’re happy. I mean, I miss Mama when she’s not here, but I do visit her as often as possible, we all do. It’s just that her knees can’t cope with such icy conditions.”

 

“I’m surprised _mine_ still can,” Frigga smiled and the two women laughed together. Georgiana found it hard to believe that this kind woman was the mother of the same thick-headed Prince who had accidently kidnapped her simply because he couldn’t see how any human in their right mind could fall in love with a Frost Giant.

 

 _Perhaps he was adopted,_ she reflected.

 

“Well, that went rather well, I think,” she said later, after the Aesir King and Queen had departed. Nothing more had been made of her accidental kidnapping by either party and she hoped that one day they could reach a point where they had all forgotten about it completely.

 

“Yes,” Loki agreed, “they seemed rather pleasant.”

 

Georgiana sensed something in his words and turned her head to face him. “Compared to..?” Loki swivelled his head in her direction and she smiled. “I know you by now, Loki; I know that you were about to say something else.”

 

Loki sighed and closed his eyes. “Compared to their son.”

 

“Oh, Loki,” Georgiana sighed, setting down the book she had been reading and rolling over in bed to lie beside him. “You can’t still be bitter about that? It was a mistake.”

 

“I know,” Loki answered, “but the fact of the matter is that you were still abducted, even if it was only for a matter of minutes, and I just can’t bring myself to forgive the man responsible for scaring us both like that.”

 

“That isn’t healthy, you know,” Georgiana sighed, snuggling up to him. She knew him well enough, though, to know that he would probably remain stubborn about this for a while yet. One way or another she would eventually talk him around, but not right now.

 

“Who cares?” Loki sighed. “You are my wife, I love you, and the thought of anyone taking you away from me makes my blood boil.”

 

Georgiana giggled. “That’s a bit ironic for a Jotun, isn’t it?”

 

Loki smiled and kissed her forehead. “Very witty, my love.”

 

Georgiana glanced up at him. “If I can forgive him, can’t you? I mean, can’t you at least try? For me?”

 

Loki sighed. “I can never deny you anything, can I?” She gave him a beseeching look and he nodded. “Alright, Georgiana. I’ll try. For you.”

 

Georgiana smiled and reached up to kiss him. “That’s my Prince.”

 


	5. In The Break of Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

 

Loki lay awake for a long while after Georgiana had finally dropped off. He could still hear her words echoing in his mind as if she had only just said them, repeating endlessly like the chorus of a song that refused to die.

 

 _“If_ _I can forgive him, can’t you? I mean, can’t you at least try? For me?”_

In his heart of hearts, Loki knew that she was right, and that he ought to be the bigger person, he ought to let this go and forgive the Aesir Prince his mistake. The truth was, though, his stubborn side was refusing to give in this time. Generally he was right about not being able to deny her anything; whenever she would point out that he was wrong about something, he would for a while stubbornly hold onto his argument and refuse to give in to her patient insisting, but in the end he would always, always, always agree that she was right, and the matter would be over and done with.

 

But why couldn’t he let go of this?

 

Loki knew that answer to that already, had already answered that question earlier that evening. It was because he loved Georgiana so much and the thought of anyone else even _touching_ her without his permission made him angry beyond belief. True, she may have only have been away from him for a few minutes and no harm had come to her, but he couldn’t forget that feeling of fear that had gripped him the second he had realised what had happened, the hollow worry that had seized hold of him, the blind panic that had sent visions of all sorts of terrifying scenarios involving his wife and a great deal of pain and suffering flitting through his mind. Even though he knew that the Aesir were a peaceful people, the notion that they may have some small rebel group tucked away in their tranquil little realm who wished to provoke a revolt or even a war by severing the alliance between Asgard and Jotunheim and then attacking when both realms were at their most vulnerable was still a valid one. According to history books he had read, it had happened, a few times within other realms, although many, many years ago and even on other worlds, apparently. What if a group of rebel Asgardians had decided to kidnap Georgiana and subject her to all manner of torture in order to have an excuse to launch an attack on the Jotuns when they came to rescue her? They might not seem like a sadistic people on the surface, but you could never tell.

 

Nothing could compare to the relief he had felt when he had seen her arrive back on Jotunheim, accompanied by Odin, the knowing that she was alive and unharmed. Yet, in spite of that, he just couldn’t bring himself to forgive Prince Thor for having worried him, and scared her, like that in the first place. He had just been surprised to learn that she wasn’t too shaken up by the event. Still, he reminded himself, she was strong, his Georgiana, capable of standing up for herself and holding her own in the face of danger, which was one of the reasons he loved her so much.

 

The thought of anyone ever harming her filled him with a fear that he hoped never to experience for real. Was it selfish of him not to want any harm to come to her? He didn’t think so. She was the most wonderful person to ever exist in the whole of the Nine Realms, she needed to be protected, she deserved to live without fear or pain. So, was it wrong to hate someone who may or may not have potentially caused her harm, physically or emotionally, and who had put the fear of the Gods into both of them?

 

He didn’t think so.

 

But he knew that there was no way that Georgiana would ever see it that way. She would insist that he had to be the bigger person, and in her mind she was probably right, but Loki just couldn’t picture himself ever being able to let this go.

 

He sighed, absently running his fingers through her silky hair. Georgiana made a small sigh in her sleep but didn’t stir. The sound brought a smile to his lips. He had been so terribly lonely before she had come into his life. He could remember, still quite clearly, several incidents in his life when he would watch the other Frost Giant children his own age play in the fields and plains and by the lake, and would always beg his Father to let him go out and play with them. But Laufey had always refused on the grounds that he was too small.

 

 _“They tower over you, Loki,” he would say,_ and it was true, the other Frost Giants did, even at such a young age _. “And they play a little rougher than you’re used to. You might get hurt.”_

In the end, Loki had given up asking, and had spent most of his time inside the palace walls, exploring the hidden nooks and crannies, or reading in the library. He was a born reader, something which Laufey was extremely proud of him for, and by the time he was six, he had read almost half the books that the vast palace library had to offer. Laufey had been glad that his son had something to do to occupy his mind and keep him from being bored, but he had also felt guilty for denying his son a proper childhood. He knew for a fact that any person who grew up too isolated from society would develop poor social skills and spend the rest of their life in unhappy solitude. Hence his decision to find Loki someone his own height to spend his time with. Georgiana had been just perfect in his eyes; someone who was equally as cut off from her peers as his son, with a fiery imagination and the ability to look beyond appearances. He had been more than thrilled when he had learned that she returned Loki’s affections, and even more thrilled when Margaret had reassured him that she would have no problems with her daughter marrying a Frost Giant, however unorthodox it may appear, providing that said Frost Giant loved her and would take care of her for the rest of her life. After Farbauti’s death, he had sworn to always do the best by his son, and his happiness was always at the forefront of the Jotun King’s mind.

 

As for Loki, well, he had been more than a little surprised when Georgiana had become his friend. Living hidden away in the library, away from the other children, had made him rather shy and unsure of himself in the presence of others so he had been startled when she hadn’t laughed at him and started teasing him for his rather clumsy attempt not to fall over after being encouraged forwards by his Father, but had actually _wanted_ to talk with him. All his nerves had faded away when she had laughed after he had rather stoutly told her that he thought her name was just as funny as his, and that had been that, basically, he had decided that he liked her. Well, more than liked her, really, but of course he was too young then to know the true extent of his feelings for her, though he would never forget the warm feeling that seeing her eyes light up when he had given her the Eisblumen had caused. The same warm feeling had flooded through him when had shown her his true Jotun form and realised that she wasn’t frightened by it. It was the same as when he had kissed her for the first time, and right now being with her.

 

Even as he thought it, he felt Georgiana shift beside him and he glanced at her, thinking that she was waking up. But she only wriggled closer to him and made herself more comfortable in her sleep, and he smiled, unable to resist pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. Their very first kiss was a memory he often found himself reliving. He had been so nervous about it, even though he had done his best not to show it in front of her, about getting it right and making what would not only be his first kiss ever but also hers absolutely perfect. And somehow, Gods only knew how, he had managed to. He could still remember the shy touch of his lips to hers, silently praying that she wasn’t about to come over shy and pull away from him. She hadn’t, though, she had leaned closer to him and pressed her own lips back to his, and from there the kiss had deepened and they had become so lost in their sudden throes of passion that when they had eventually forced themselves to part for air, they had gone from standing side by side and holding hands to sitting on the floor with their arms wrapped tightly around one another. He could remember Georgiana blushing as she dropped her arms from around his neck and realizing what she must be thinking in that sudden moment.

 

_“It’s alright, love,” he had whispered, pressing his forehead to hers. “I know you’re not ready for that, neither am I.”_

_“It isn’t that,” Georgiana whispered. “It’s just, well, back in Midgard, men and women are usually married before they become this intimate with one another.”_

_Loki smiled. “But we’re not on Midgard, are we?” he asked, mischievously._

_Georgiana opened her eyes and smiled up at him. “No, you’re right. But...this is as far as we go. Is that alright?”_

_“More than alright,” Loki replied, kissing her again._

To be perfectly honest, neither of them had actually considered the prospect of someday getting married even then. Even when Georgiana had decided to break the news to her Mother that she and Loki were together, when Laufey had volunteered to come and explain matters to her, neither of them had considered that they were actually paving a way for themselves to enter into matrimony. It was only when Laufey and Margaret had propositioned him in her private parlour that Loki had realised the depths of his feelings for Georgiana and that he was indeed ready to take that next step in their relationship, providing that _she_ was ready too, of course.

 

Loki sometimes found himself wondering if their meeting hadn’t been planned out for them by the Fates, long ago before they were even born. A lot of Frost Giants believed in old superstitions like that, that sometimes the Fates favored young people and bestowed gifts upon them, such as the power of the second sight, or that sometimes they were particularly protective of other people and never allowed any harm to come to them, or even that they sometimes picked out young souls who they felt belonged together and brought them together in some way. If this was how it had happened, if it hadn’t just been an accident meeting her like he had, then Loki was grateful to them even so. He could only imagine just how empty and lonely his life would have been had she not been a part of it.

 

He stifled a yawn, not wanting to wake her when she was so deeply asleep beside him, and finally closed his eyes. His mind was made up. In front of Georgiana and everyone else, he would maintain the facade that all was well between him and the Asgardian Prince, that there were no hard feelings on his behalf and that he bore no ill will against him. Perhaps in time, say a further twenty years or so, his anger against him would eventually fizzle out, but for now, well, what no one else knew couldn’t hurt them.

 

When morning eventually came, he awoke to find Georgiana wide awake and nuzzling up to him with a mischievous smile on her face.

 

“Oh, do we have time for this?” Loki teased, wrapping one arm around her waist and bringing up his free hand to brush a few stray strands of hair out of her eyes.

 

“Well, since we had to make it a very, very quick one yesterday, I thought I could at least _try_ to make it up to you,” Georgiana replied, with a tantalizing purr in her voice. “Unless, of course, for some reason you’re not up for it..?”

 

Loki raised an eyebrow at her. “Georgiana, when have you ever known me _not_ to be up for it?”

 

Georgiana giggled as he quickly flipped her beneath him and kissed her. “My, someone’s a little eager,” she teased, pressing her body against him. Loki could feel warmth radiating between them already.

 

“I’m not the one who’s trying to seduce the love of my life in their sleep,” Loki pointed out, trailing kisses down her neck.

 

Georgiana gave a soft moan and rocked her hips beneath his. “I’m sorry, Loki, but you are just so adorable in your sleep, I couldn’t resist.”

 

“Adorable?” Loki scowled. “I don’t want to be _adorable._ That makes me sound like a _pet_ or something.”

 

“Well, I’m sorry, but you just are,” Georgiana smiled, running her hands through his hair. Loki made a small huff of distaste against her skin and she giggled. “Fine, then, would you prefer it if I called you sweet? Or delightful? Or cute?”

 

 _“Excuse me?”_ Loki’s head shot up as he gave her a mock glare.

 

“Oh, dear, am I in trouble?” Georgiana teased. “Should I have stuck with “adorable?”

 

“Georgiana,” Loki began, warningly.

 

“Or perhaps you would prefer regal?” Georgiana smiled, running one hand down his back. “Or how about majestic? Or, ooh, is “princely” a word? It sounds like a word.”

 

Loki grinned at her, approvingly. “Better,” he said, finding that sweet spot between her neck and shoulder again and kissing it.

 

“Oh, Loki...” Georgiana sighed, wriggling against him. “I should compliment you more often.” Then she giggled as Loki broke away from her a second to glance between them at what was digging into her. “Mm, I see you like that idea too, Loki. Would you like me to help you take care of it?”

 

“I don’t know,” Loki teased, pushing himself up so that they were no longer touching. Georgiana made a small sigh of frustration at the loss of contact. “Perhaps I should take care of it myself, as you so kindly suggested yesterday.”

 

“Oh, I knew that would come back to bite me sooner or later,” Georgiana sighed, thrusting her hips upwards to meet his. Loki shifted further away from her, however, and she sighed again. “Loki, please!”

 

“Please what, my love?” Loki asked, slyly.

 

She fixed him with a look. “Oh, no. You are _not_ going to make me beg for it.”

 

“Aren’t I?” Loki teased.

 

“No, sir, you are not,” Georgiana insisted, and then, to his surprise, she threw up her arms and seized hold of him, firmly wrapping him in a tight embrace and thrusting his body down to meet hers. Loki felt his arms buckle and it took every ounce of his self control to steady his descent so that he wouldn’t hurt her by falling on top of her.

 

 _“Now_ who’s the eager one?” he teased.

 

With a look to match his own, Georgiana rolled them both over and straddled him. “If you don’t take me right now, Loki-”

 

Loki smiled. “So demanding!”

 

Georgiana shook her head, wearing her “What-am-I-going-to-do-with-you?” look as she leaned down to kiss him. Pressed up against his arousal, she could feel her own beginning to cry for it. “Loki...please...”

 

Loki laughed, softly, his fingers already nimbly unfastening the ties at the front of her nightgown. “As I said last night, I can never deny you anything, my love.”

 

No more word were exchanged as he kissed her again and they both began to hurry out of their nightclothes, or at least until Loki became a little too eager on his end and accidently tore the shoulder of her nightgown. They both stared it the damage, unsure of whether to laugh or not and then Loki ventured a rather apologetic “Oops.”

 

Georgiana turned her eyes slowly upon him. “Well,” she said, fighting not to start laughing as she said it, “it would seem you owe me a new nightgown, my Prince.”

 

“Sorry,” Loki replied, genuinely so.

 

“Five years of marriage and you’re only just beginning to tear my clothes off me,” Georgiana teased. “Are you losing your touch, Loki?”

 

Loki grinned. “Never, as you’re about to find out, my Lady.”

 

Georgiana giggled and Loki managed to control himself enough not to do further damage to her already ruined nightgown as he finally managed to pull it off her and cast it to the floor. “You’re so lucky that one wasn’t one of my favourites, Loki,” she murmured as he began to trail kisses from her clavicle down towards her breasts.

 

“I swear I’ll make it up to you,” Loki murmured, nuzzling her flesh and Georgiana let out a soft gasp as he suckled on her nipple.

 

“Oh, Loki, I think you’re doing that already,” she whispered, running her hands through his hair.

 

Loki groaned against her flesh. “Georgiana, you know I love you doing that.”

 

“Mm,” Georgiana murmured, arching her back. “That’s why I did it.”

 

She repeated the action and then her breath came in small, stuttering whimpers of arousal. “Mm...Loki...! I need you...right now...”

 

“I know, my love,” Loki whispered, shifting so that he could line up with her entrance. The first time they had done this, it had taken a little while for Georgiana to relax enough for him to be able to slip inside without hurting her, but they had since had plenty of practice and now it was second nature to both of them.

 

Georgiana felt her eyes flutter shut as Loki slid into her with one quick thrust. “Oh, Loki...”

 

“Gods, I love you, Georgiana,” Loki groaned, pulling her down on top of him.

 

“I love you too, Loki,” Georgiana breathed, her mouth finding his as they began to move together. It wasn’t long before she felt herself trembling as each stroke brought her closer to the brink of orgasm. “Mm...Loki...I’m close...”

 

“Let go then, darling,” Loki breathed, already close to following her. They both climaxed in the same instant, however, and he caught hold of her, pulling her close as she collapsed on top of him with a prolonged sigh. Loki ran a hand down her spine, his other stroking her shoulder blades gently. “You make such adorable noises when you do that, you know,” he breathed, nuzzling her hair.

 

“Adorable?” Georgiana glanced up at him. “So you may call me “adorable” but I may not call you that?”

 

“But you _are_ adorable, Georgiana,” Loki smiled, nuzzling her nose with his. “Whereas I am not.”

 

“You are when you’re asleep,” Georgiana teased. “But perhaps we should agree to disagree on that note.”

 

“I agree,” Loki smiled, kissing her forehead.

 

Georgiana snuggled against him and glanced in the direction of the window. “Mm,” she sighed, happily. “I suppose we should get up soon.”

 

“Mm,” Loki agreed, absently.

 

Georgiana glanced at him and sensed that his mind was somewhere else. “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

 

Loki met her eyes and smiled. “I was thinking that, much as I hate to admit it, you’re right. About Prince Thor, I mean.” Georgiana raised herself slightly, her interest peaked. “It probably isn’t healthy to hold a grudge this long.”

 

Georgiana gave a mock gasp and butted her forehead gently against his. “My Prince is growing up! I’m so proud!”

 

Loki laughed. “Come on then, my love, let us leave our love-nest and get cleaned up.”

 

Georgiana smiled as he slid out of her and rolled to one side, sliding the covers off them both. Thankfully the stones in their room radiated enough heat so that she could at least make it to the bathroom naked without catching a chill. Loki followed her, eager to join her in the bath. Before she had come to live with him in the palace, he had just done as the other Frost Giants did, a quickly all-over-body wash in cold water and soap, simply because the idea of soaking in a tub full of water for ages hadn’t really appealed to him before, but once Georgiana had pointed out the considerable benefits of sharing a bath with her, well, it had rapidly become something to look forward to, and thankfully his Aesir form managed perfectly well in hot water whereas his Jotun form could only cope in cold and found vast amounts of heat unbearable.

 

She turned to smile at him as he slipped in behind her and then leaned back against him, the water soothing her limbs which still felt slightly unsteady after their love-making. Loki pressed a kiss to the back of her head, wrapping both arms around her waist, hands splaying over her belly. “One day...” he mused, thoughtfully. “I can’t wait to see what you look like full with child.”

 

“Oh!” Georgiana let out an indignant laugh as she turned to look at him. “And here I thought you actually _enjoyed_ making love to me, Loki!”

 

Loki burst out laughing. “You know I didn’t mean it like _that,_ love.”

 

“Hm, well, you should learn to be careful what you say in future,” Georgiana muttered, grumpily, as Loki pulled her close and pressed a few kisses to the top of her head.

 

“Am I forgiven?” he asked.

 

Georgiana sat up a little straighter and smiled up at him, showing that she hadn’t been serious and that she knew that he hadn’t meant what it sounded like he meant at all. “I think I can let you off this time,” she replied, turning about completely to snuggle into his arms and return his kiss. They remained like that until the water began to cool and Loki gently but firmly pointed out that her staying any longer in a tub of cold water in an already cold realm wasn’t a good idea given that she wasn’t a Frost Giant, and so Georgiana somewhat reluctantly allowed him to help her out and they both dried themselves off before going to dress.

 

“Have I ever told you that you look absolutely ravishing in my colours?” Loki asked, watching her pull on a long tunic-style, square-neck-cut green dress trimmed with gold and tied with a gold sash at the waist over black hose. Georgiana found she always wore hose beneath even her longest dresses for the extra warmth.

 

“Yes, I think you might have mentioned it once or twice,” Georgiana teased, “or all the time.”

 

“Well, you do,” Loki replied, stepping up to cup her face and kiss her. “They really suit you.”

 

Georgiana smiled. “I should hope so, since I’ve barely worn anything else since we married.”

 

“That reminds me,” Loki added, reaching to retrieve her torn nightgown from the floor. “Any colour or style preference? A Princess of Asgard shouldn’t have to just settle for the same again time after time.”

 

Georgiana laughed. “Well, since I do already have several green nightgowns already, perhaps this one ought to be blue?” She wrapped her arms around his neck and stepped closer to him. “To match the colour of my husband’s skin when he’s in his Jotun form?”

 

“Your wish is my command, my Princess,” Loki teased, before using his magic to transform her old plain white, and now additionally torn, nightgown into a new, flawless, long-sleeved one with a flowing skirt, made of shimmery material in a beautiful shade of cornflower blue.

 

Georgiana gasped, softly, as she took it from him. “Oh, Loki, it’s beautiful!”

 

“Well, you deserve the best after I ruined your last one,” Loki replied.

 

Georgiana gave him a fond look and then hugged him with one arm, the other still holding onto the nightgown. “You spoil me, Loki, you really do.”

 

“Of course I do,” Loki replied, hugging her back. “You’re my wife.”

 

Georgiana smiled and kissed him. “Well, thank you.”

 

Loki returned her smile, watching her lay the gown on their bed, before taking her hand and leading her downstairs.

 

Meanwhile, back on Asgard, the same morning hadn’t quite taken such a loving turn for Thor. He hadn’t been able to get much sleep at all for the past two nights, worrying about what his Father had said to him. Would there really be no forgiveness for this mistake? What was he suppose to do to make it all right again?

 

He had spoken briefly with his Mother the night before, only to find less sympathy on her behalf than he had been expecting from her.

 

 _“Thor, I know you made a mistake,” she explained, patiently, “but you must try to see it from_ their _point of view. The poor girl had no idea what was happening when you had her dragged out of her home in the middle of the night. Her husband’s going to view this as a hostile act. You could have seriously damaged their respect for us, not to mention you insulted the Princess with your words.”_

_Thor gave a stubborn sigh. “Well, what was I meant to think? I mean, how was I supposed to know that the Jotun Prince had a Midgardian girl for a wife? We were never informed of such a thing.”_

_“And why should we have been?” Frigga countered. “It was nothing to do with us. I mean, it would have been if he had married an Asgardian, then we would have needed to know. But since we are not human, it is none of our business whether one of them marries a Jotun or not. It doesn’t affect us in any way. Anyway, that isn’t the point. The point is that you just assumed that she was a slave simply based on her status as a Misgardian.”_

_“I thought that Prince Loki was bullying her,” Thor stated, bluntly. “Or rather that she was afraid of him and that he was hurting her. It certainly looked that way. You ask Sif or one of the others, they’ll say the same.”_

_Frigga sighed and got to her feet. “You know, Thor, some days you would do well to listen to Hogun’s instincts.”_

“Am I really the villain here, Sif?” Thor asked as they sat together in the training ring later that afternoon. None of them actually felt like doing any actual training, however; ever since Thor had told them of his Father’s reaction to his mistake, a cloud of gloom had hung over the five of them and all they could manage to do was sit and talk together, not practice any action at all.

 

“No, of course not,” Sif replied, loyally, although she sounded doubtful as she said it.

 

Thor glanced at her. “What?”

 

“What?” Sif countered, pretending not to know what he was talking about.

 

“You’re being evasive,” Thor said.

 

“No, I’m not,” Sif protested.

 

“You sort of are,” said Fandral, who had just come up.

 

“Shut up, you,” Sif hissed.

 

“Go on, what?” Thor pressed.

 

Sif sighed. “Fine! I was going to say that, well, you did sort of rush into things.”

 

Thor threw up his hands. _“You_ agreed that it was a good plan!”

 

“Yes, but-!”

 

“And you two both thought that she was being abused just as much as I did!” Thor finished.

 

Fandral sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I guess I’d do the same again if I thought that someone was in trouble.”

 

“We should have asked,” said Hogun, who had come up and plopped himself down by Fandral. “We should have just asked Laufey something like “Who’s that young woman talking to Prince Loki?” and then he would have said “She’s the Princess, his wife,” and all would have been well.”

 

“Now you tell me,” Thor sighed.

 

“Is your Father still cross?” Sif asked, tentatively.

 

“If by “cross” you mean “not speaking to me unless it’s necessary to do so,” then yes,” Thor replied, folding his arms.

 

“Well, he can’t stay angry forever,” Fandral pointed out.

 

“Can’t he?” Thor sighed.

 

Before Fandral could reply, however, a shout reached their ears and they all turned to see Volstagg running as fast as he could towards the training ground. He skidded to a halt in front of them, almost falling over as he did so, sending up a pile of grit in a skittering motion and grabbed the nearest pole to steady himself.

 

“What’s wrong?” Fandral asked. “Have the kitchens run out of chicken?” He chuckled at his own joke and the others, even Hogun, managed a smile.

 

“You won’t laugh when I tell you what I know,” Volstagg gasped, grasping the stitch in his side.

 

Thor saw that he was serious and got to his feet. “What is it?”

 

“Heimdall just informed me,” Volstagg panted. “He saw it coming too late.”

 

“Saw what?” Thor asked.

 

“Volstagg, just tell us,” Sif added, getting to her feet.

 

“The Dark Elves!” Volstagg said. “They’ve launched a surprise attack on the Bifrost! They’re invading Asgard!”

 


	6. Let Battle Commence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of you will recognise the "I'm Listening" scene from the Avengers; I couldn't resist using it here. I'm dedicating that moment to my DA friend who told me about that scene before I even watched the film, so Draconicat, if you're reading, that scene's for you.

 

“This isn’t happening!” Thor muttered, whipping his head around, wildly. It had been a total of eight minutes since Volstagg had delivered them the news and already battle was in full swing. There was supposed to be some kind of warning, wasn’t there, an early warning sign a day or so in advance even when another race launched a surprise attack? Why hadn’t Heimdall foreseen this and warned them?

 

Unless Dark Elf magic had shielded their plans from him...

 

Sif grunted beside him as she took down a Kursed Warrior with just one blow of her sword. “They’re everywhere! We need help!”

 

“You think?” Thor exclaimed, surveying the battlefield again. He could see Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves, battling it out with some of Asgard’s finest soldiers. Even though it was three against one, it was the Asgardians who were having a tough time holding their own. Malekith might be short, but he was powerful and fierce, a terrifying combination upon any battlefield.

 

His Father was battling two Kursed with Gungnir, his Mother battling another with a powerful sword and the Warriors Three were taking on about five all at once. He shook his head. The Asgardians might be strong, but against a race like the Dark Elves, they needed to be even stronger. And there was strength in numbers.

 

“We need the Frost Giants!” he realised.

 

Sif glanced at him. “Oh, sure! They’re monsters any other time, but the second we _need_ something from them-!”

 

Thor ignored her and used Mjölnir to take down a Kursed advancing on them before racing over to where his Father was fighting. Odin nodded, grateful for his son’s assistance, as together they were able to take down the two Kursed, who were incredibly hard to kill but not indestructible, it seemed.

 

“Heimdall!” Thor shouted. “Open the Bifrost! Let the Frost Giants know what’s happening!”

 

“This is not their war, Thor!” Odin argued.

 

“They are our allies, aren’t they?” Thor bellowed over the noise of the raging battle.

 

Odin found he couldn’t argue with that. “Heimdall!” he ordered. “Do as he says!”

 

Meanwhile on Jotunheim, the mood was considerably calmer. The Frost Famine was rapidly being wiped out, and Georgiana was grateful for this. Famine always brought a somber mood to any realm but now that it was being dealt with, there was an echo of cheer about her home despite the gloomy news of the day before. Even the dying plants around them as they walked looked a little less limp than they when the Famine had hit, like they could sense the hope of salvation lingering in the air.

 

“Greetings, Prince and Princess,” said a few of the Jotun farmers who were working hard to save their crops.

 

Georgiana smiled as Loki returned with a pleasant “Greetings,” of his own. The people of Jotunheim were so polite, much more so than the people of Midgard; sometimes it was hard to believe that they even knew of boorishness or unkindness. She had met so many people on Midgard who would pretend to be nice to your face but then would also turn around and stab you in the back, but no one in Jotunheim was like that. If they liked you, they were polite. If they disliked you for any reason, even the most petty of reasons, well then, they let you know.

 

Unless of course they were Loki, who was much better at hiding his feelings than a lot of them due to his skills in magic.

 

“How’s everything going?” she asked, sympathetically.

 

One of the Jotuns, an elder going by the lines on his face, smiled benevolently at her. “Turns out it wasn’t as bad here as we originally thought, Your Highness. We’ve only lost a few _pastinakes_ and a handful of _rube_ _pflanze,_ but the rest is salvageable and the _mais_ hasn’t been touched by it at all.”

 

“That _is_ good news,” Georgiana agreed, and the elder bowed his head respectfully. The Jotuns of his generation especially had a great deal of fondness for the young Princess of Jotunheim, because she was always ready with an encouraging smile and a kind word. He could still remember how good she had been to the farmers when the great Ice Volcano had erupted and destroyed half the farms in the Eissee Plain, how diligently she had worked alongside her husband and the King to restore their homes to their former glory. They were eternally grateful to her for that.

 

“Indeed,” he said. “At this rate, we shall have our farms back to normal in only a matter of days.”

 

Loki nodded. _Heirlinerde_ was a rather powerful potion. “Well, if there’s anything further we can do to help,” he said, “please let us know.”

 

“Thank you, Your Highness,” the farmers acknowledged and went back to their work.

 

Georgiana smiled as she pulled her hand from Loki’s only to slip her arm through his and press close to him as they walked. “You’re going to make a wonderful King someday.”

 

Loki gave her a fond look. “Only because I’ll have a wonderful Queen beside me.”

 

“That isn’t the only reason,” Georgiana insisted. “You care about the people here just like your Father does. That’s the mark of a great ruler, one who cares and who helps them when they need it.”

 

“Well, that too,” Loki agreed, and they both laughed. She was going to make a wonderful Queen, though, he thought to himself, he had decided that a long time ago.

 

“Your Highnesses!” They both turned in surprise to see Gunnarr hurrying towards them. If Jotuns, other than Loki, could be said to look pale, he certainly looked a paler shade of blue than usual.

 

“What’s wrong?” Loki asked him when he was in close enough reach that they didn’t have to shout.

 

Gunnarr bent over, slightly, catching his breath. “The King send me to find the two of you. It’s Asgard.”

 

“What’s happened?” Georgiana asked, sensing that whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

 

“The Dark Elves are attacking,” Gunnarr explained, breathlessly. “The Asgardians are holding their own, but they need help. They’ve called on us for assistance.”

 

Loki sighed. “Of course, because we’re always useful when they _want_ something,” he muttered.

 

“The King wants every able warrior in the Throne Room now,” Gunnarr added, jerking a thumb over his shoulder towards the direction of the palace. Loki nodded and together the three of them ran as fast as they could towards the Throne Room. Inside, Laufey had gathered as many warriors and soldiers who were formally trained as would fit in the room and Georgiana automatically found herself breathing in for fear of being crushed between the masses. She and Loki quickly made their way to where Laufey was standing to address the meeting.

 

“Ah, Loki, there you are,” Laufey said, before turning back to the others. Georgiana couldn’t recall the last time she had seen so many Frost Giants gathered in one room. “Now, everyone,” Laufey announced, and the various mutterings around them fell silent. “I don’t know how much you’ve heard about the reason you’ve all been called here, but the truth is that the Dark Elves have invaded Asgard.” The mutterings picked up again, serious murmurs of acknowledgement at how grim a situation this was. “They are battling with the Aesir even as we speak, and we have been called upon, as their allies, to help them out in their time of need, as they would do for us.” More mutterings and nodding. “As you all know, none of us have any way of predicting the outcome of this battle, but I know that each and every one of us, each able bodied, well-trained soldier and warrior alike, will fight to the best of their abilities to preserve the bond between us and our neighbouring realm.” There were grunts and murmurs of agreement now and a few of the Jotuns raised their weapons in acknowledgement. “All I can say now,” Laufey concluded, “is good luck to all of you, because whatever the outcome, the important thing is that we _try._ And thank you all. Captain.”

 

His Captain of the Guards, Orvar, took a step forwards. “We move out,” he announced, and everyone moved in a line towards the door.

 

Georgiana grasped for Loki’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “I can’t believe this is happening,” she whispered, unable to believe also how brave each soldier and warrior was being. She knew that deep down inside even Frost Giants feared the certainty of their own deaths.

 

Loki glanced at her, knowing that he needed to reassure her in this moment. “It _will_ be alright,” he said, softly. “I promise. I will come back to you in one piece.”

 

Georgiana turned to him with a frown. “What do you mean?”

 

“Loki,” Laufey said, a soft prompt in the right direction, “hurry. The Bifrost can’t wait forever.”

 

“I know, I’m coming,” Loki replied.

 

“Don’t worry, Georgiana,” Laufey added, softly, bestowing a hug upon her. Georgiana returned it with her free arm, holding him tightly and willing him to return to them unharmed. “Together the Frost Giants and the Asgardians are more than a match for the Dark Elves.”

 

“I know,” Georgiana smiled. “You’re more intelligent for a start.”

 

Laufey chuckled and then left the room. The second he was gone, Georgiana turned to her husband. “Loki, you don’t seriously expect me to stay here whilst you and the others are risking your lives against the Dark Elves, do you?”

 

Loki had been expecting something like this and he had his answer ready. “Georgiana-”

 

“Is this because I’m a _woman?”_ Georgiana interrupted in a fierce whisper.

 

“No, it’s because you have no training in the art of combat,” Loki replied, truthfully. “If you set foot in the midst of that battlefield, they would kill you in an instant. You wouldn’t stand a chance.”

 

Georgiana set her jaw. “Fine. So I stay here not knowing whether or not any of you are going to survive.”

 

“I don’t want you getting hurt,” Loki said, firmly.

 

“I don’t want _you_ getting hurt,” Georgiana countered, stubbornly.

 

“Georgiana,” Loki sighed. “I have been trained for this all my life. I’m perfectly able to hold my own in a battle.”

 

“But-”

 

“Please don’t make me force you stay here.”

 

Georgiana sighed. He could, she knew, with his magic; he could easily cast some spell on her that could stick her feet to that one spot until he came to relieve her of it, or else bind her in some other way, like a forcefield around her or some protective enchantments around the room that she wouldn’t be able to escape.

 

“Fine,” she said again, only this time it was with a little less stubbornness as she ducked her head, eyes on the floor. The truth of the matter was that she couldn’t imagine not being with him at such a time. They always saw everything else through together, and even though the thought of facing a battle waged by the Dark Elves scared her, what terrified her more was the thought of Loki being in the midst of one without her. Suddenly it was like she was having to force herself to breathe. The thought of losing him was just unbearable.

 

Loki leaned down and nudged his forehead against hers. Georgiana closed her eyes, memories of all their favourite times together washing through her along with the warmth his touch always brought her. “Trust me,” he whispered, and she did trust him, he knew that, so she could trust him to keep his word and come back to her. That wouldn’t stop her from worrying constantly about him though.

 

“They’re Dark Elves,” she reminded him, her voice trembling slightly as she said it. “They’re the most dangerous creatures in the whole of the Nine Realms.”

 

“I know, Georgiana,” Loki murmured back, kissing her forehead. “But my magic is more powerful than theirs. They don’t have the power of illusions to confuse their enemies in battle.”

 

“But their magic’s darker and more dangerous,” Georgiana added, reaching up to grip the front of his tunic, urgently. “And they’re relentless, you told me yourself-!”

 

“Georgiana,” Loki cut across her, catching hold of her hands before she could grip him any tighter. “We _will_ be fine.”

 

Georgiana dropped her eyes. “You can say that, but I won’t stop worrying about you, about any of you.”

 

“I know.” Loki pulled her close, wrapping her in a hug and she snuggled against him, burying her face in his chest. He glanced over the top of her head. “I need to go. They need me there.”

 

She nodded. “I know.”

 

Hearing the sob catching in her voice tore at Loki’s heart a little and he pulled away from her, looking straight into her eyes. “No matter what happens, I’m going to come back to you,” he told her, before kissing her. Georgiana clung to him, making it last for as long as possible before, regretfully, they finally had to part.

 

“Good luck,” she whispered, a few tears already escaping her. “I’ll be thinking about you.”

 

A thought suddenly occurred to Loki as he stepped from the room and he turned back to her, momentarily. “I’ll keep you updated,” he promised, before giving her a final smile of reassurance and then hurrying to catch up with the others.

 

Once he was gone, Georgiana felt her legs give way and she had to slump quickly onto the throne itself simply to keep from fainting completely. She felt hollow and numb inside, and it was nothing to do with the cold of the realm, it was all to do with Loki not being with her. Taking a deep breath, she clasped her hands together, nails digging into her palms to stop herself from crying, and tried to pull herself together.

 

“It will be fine,” she murmured to herself, “Loki will be fine, they’ll all be fine.”

 

It suddenly occurred to her that, with both Laufey and Loki gone, she was left alone here to make all of Jotunheim’s decisions until they returned. If they returned, a sad voice in her head noted, but she pushed it away, of course they would. For now, though, any decision that Gunnarr or anyone else chose to make would have to be run past her as Regent. She just prayed that nothing bad would happen in their absence.

 

Getting to her feet, she forced herself to move over to the desk and set about making herself useful by tidying all the official papers that Laufey had been sorting through before receiving the news about the battle. She knew enough about Jotunheim politics by now to know how to sort them, and once she had done, she began to feel a little better about the whole predicament.

 

Back in Asgard, it looked like the Aesir were closer to losing the battle than winning it. Several men had been seriously wounded and led to the Healing Room, although none looked to have been killed yet, thankfully, but with their numbers falling, the prospect of winning looked to be nothing but a grim fantasy on the horizon.

 

“There’s too many of them!” Fandral exclaimed, taking down the Kursed he had been battling relentlessly with his sword at long last. “I mean, where are they all coming from? It’s like fighting against rutting Bilgesnipes!”

 

“Except Bilgesnipes would be easier to kill right now!” Thor replied, throwing Mjölnir through the air again. She took down half a dozen Kursed before singing her way back into his fist again.

 

“Yes, give me a good old Bilgesnipe any day compared to this lot,” Volstagg grunted, busy battling two Kursed at once and then let out a bellow of pain as one of them inflicted a wound upon him.

 

“Volstagg!” Thor whipped around and took out the two Kursed bearing down on them without even letting go of Mjölnir before both he and Fandral ducked to their friend’s side.

 

“I’m fine,” Volstagg grunted, raising his head. “It’s just a scratch.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Fandral said. “That one had an axe.”

 

“I said I’m fine,” Volstagg insisted.

 

“No, Fandral’s right,” said Hogun, who had just backed up to them, having just taken down another Dark Elf. “We need to get you to the Healing Room.”

 

“Oh, Norns,” Volstagg sighed.

 

“Where the Hel are our reinforcements?” Thor exclaimed, looking around the battlefield and seeing no sign of the Frost Giants. “They should be here by now!”

 

No sooner had the words left his lips, however, then the rainbow lights of the Bifrost suddenly flashed into being, bringing the Frost Giants with them. Though the battle continued regardless, a few of the Dark Elves cowered and rightly so, for whilst they were only a few inches or so shorter than the average Asgardian, they were completely dwarfed by comparison with fully grown Frost Giants. Even Loki, who was closer to Thor’s size than his Father’s, towered somewhat over them.

 

Odin shot Laufey a look of relief as the Jotun King took down six Kursed at once with merely a swipe of his hand. Orvar signaled for the rest of the troops to attack and soon there were flashes of fur-lined cloth and blue skin intermerged with Asgardian armour and pale flesh.

 

Somehow or other, Loki found himself fighting quite close to Thor and his party. Mentally he sent an illusion of himself back to the Jotunheim throne room, where Georgiana was still making herself useful. Seeing her through the eyes of his double brought extra determination to his heart.

 

“Tell me, would it be terribly clichéd of me to say something like “I’ll win this battle in your name, my love?” he asked her.

 

Georgiana looked up in surprise and then realised what was happening. She managed a smile. “Perhaps, but then I’ve always had a fondness for clichés.”

 

Loki chuckled and stepped up to her. She sighed. Ordinarily in a situation like this, she would reach out for him and cling to him, but she knew that if she tried to do that, his illusion was shatter and leave her alone again.

 

“I wish I could touch you,” she said, softly.

 

Loki brought his hand up as if to touch her face, and brought it so close to her cheek that she could almost feel the warmth of his fingers softly brushing against her hair. She smiled again, content with just that. “So, how are we faring?”

 

“Fairly well so far,” Loki replied, “but then we have only just arrived. Ah,” he added, thoughtfully, “now I’m fighting right alongside Prince Thor. This should be interesting.”

 

Georgiana sighed and ducked her head. “You haven’t forgiven him at all, have you, Loki? Don’t deny it,” she added, as he took a deep breath to reply to her. “I know you haven’t. I should have suspected it all along, really, you did seem rather quick to agree with me being right.”

 

It was Loki’s turn to sigh. He didn’t want to get impatient with her, especially now, but he still couldn’t see how she could bring herself to forgive the man who had kidnapped her. But this was neither the time nor the place for such a discussion, so he took a deep breath and said the only thing he could. “I’m sorry.”

 

Georgiana raised her head. “Please, Loki, for my sake. They’re our allies, we can’t have a rift between us, especially now.”

 

“You think I don’t know that?” Loki asked, though not harshly. It was taking him all his self control to stay calm, however, given the fact that he was having this conversation with his wife and yet at the same time was also doing battle with a race of Dark Elves. The fact that he was now doing so alongside the man he now hated wasn’t exactly helping either.

 

“Loki, I love you,” Georgiana said, in a tone of gentle persuasion. “If you truly love me as much as you always tell me you do-”

 

“You know I do,” Loki interrupted.

 

“Then please, let go of this,” Georgiana insisted. “There are more important things going on.”

 

Loki was about to answer her when he was dimly aware of someone else close by saying something. “Hold on,” he murmured, and then, back on Asgard, turned to Thor with a frown. “What?”

 

“I said, it took you long enough,” Thor repeated, knocking a Kursed aside with Mjölnir. “To get here, I mean.”

 

Loki shot him a venomous look of contempt. “We didn’t _have_ to come at all, you know! We could have just left you to your fates! If it wasn’t for the fact that you lot couldn’t last ten seconds without us-!”

 

“You think we can’t hold our own in a battle?” Thor exclaimed, incredulously.

 

“Well, I’ve yet to see any evidence of you doing so,” Loki retorted.

 

They had separated from the Warriors Three by now, and were desperately battling four Kursed side by side at the edge of the Bifrost Bridge. Though Loki had to admire the way that Thor handled his weapon, there was no elegance in it the way he had been taught to fight. Still, he reflected, now was _not_ the time to criticize the Prince’s-oh, wait, he just had done.

 

Thor knocked the last of their opponents aside and turned to face him, wielding Mjölnir. “Alright, listen-”

 

He was cut off as suddenly, out of nowhere, Malekith tackled him, knocking him off his feet and sending them both sprawling into the centre of the Bifrost Bridge.

 

Loki blinked at the spot where Thor had just been standing. “I’m listening.”

 

Thor groaned as he hit the bridge and Mjölnir flew fromhis grasp, landing squarely a few feet away with a loud crack as it made contact with the bridge. Loki frowned and then realised what had just happened; the force of the impact had fractured the Bifrost Bridge and now the cracks were spreading from the spot the hammer had made contact with and were rapidly spreading at an alarming rate.

 

“Oh, Norns,” he murmured, worriedly, and his double back on Jotunheim did the same.

 

“What is it?” Georgiana asked.

 

Loki turned to her, having almost forgotten that he was even having a conversation with her. “The Bifrost Bridge. Thor’s hammer’s cracked it.”

 

Georgiana gasped. “But...if it breaks, that means...”

 

“It won’t break,” Loki told her, firmly. “Not as long as I have anything to say about it.”

 

So saying, he stepped cautiously onto the bridge.

 

“Asgardian!” Malekith snarled, delivering Thor a blow that almost stunned him for a second. “Prepare to die!”

 

“Not today!” Thor chocked out, reaching out for Mjölnir. She shot into his hand and he thrust his hand upwards, throwing Malekith off him. Loki stopped in his tracks in alarm as Malekith was sent sprawling towards the crack in the bridge. His force of impact only added to the damage. Thor got to his feet, which alarmed him even more. He did a quick mental calculation in his head. The cracks had stopped a little way short of the part of the bridge that he himself was standing upon, so that patch was safe. However, both Thor and Malekith were in serious danger of being sent hurtling into one of the wormholes below the bridge that led who knew where in only a matter of seconds.

 

“What’s happening now?” Georgiana asked, seeing the worry on his face.

 

“It’s not good,” he replied. “If Thor doesn’t get off the Bridge, it’s going to break, and take him with it.”

 

“Well, then, you’ve got to help him,” Georgiana cried.

 

“How?”

 

“I don’t know! Grab him or something! You can’t just let him fall!”

 

“Can’t I?” Loki sighed.

 

“You don’t mean that,” Georgiana replied, firmly.

 

“Georgiana, after what he did to you-!” Loki began.

 

“That doesn’t mean he deserves to die!” Georgiana snapped. “If it was _me_ standing on that broken bridge, wouldn’t you want someone to help?”

 

Loki knew that she was right. “Fine. I’ll try.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Loki steadied himself as Thor frowned down at the cracks at his feet. “Look!” he said, catching the Aesir Prince’s attention, “I can help you but you have to listen to me! Grab the end of my scepter but don’t move your feet!”

 

He held it out and Thor stretched out his hand for it. His fingers barely brushed it, however. “I can’t reach it!”

 

“I can’t get closer than this,” Loki insisted. “Otherwise we’ll all fall through it. Stretch a bit more.”

 

“There’s no point!” Both of them glanced at Malekith, who had got to his feet and was causing the bridge to crack even further. “You’re dead either way!”

 

“Don’t move your feet!” Loki insisted to Thor. “Don’t move at all! Just reach for me!”

 

Malekith threw back his head and laughed. “Give it up, Asgardian! You’ll never win this battle!”

 

Loki could see that his words were agitating Thor, and that the young Prince, with all his hot-headedness, was more than likely to react. “Don’t move,” he warned again, stretching a little further with the scepter. Thor grasped the end of it and Loki breathed out. _There you go, my Georgiana,_ he thought, _I’ve done it, just as you said._

 

With a blast of energy, Malekith sent himself back onto a patch of bridge that was free of cracks. “Pathetic Asgardian!”

 

Thor whipped around, wielding Mjölnir and unconsciously moving his feet in the process. “Pathetic? You-!”

 

With a sickening crack, the damaged part of the bridge fell away completely. It happened so quickly that Loki wasn’t expecting it and nor was he prepared for just how much Thor weighed. With simultaneous yells, they both plunged down into the swirling darkness, the illusion of Loki in Jotunheim vanishing much to Georgiana’s alarm, hearing Malekith laughing, and the combined shouts of their names from Aesir and Jotuns alike as the universe came rushing up to greet them and the forbidding black wormholes of doom swallowed them up.

 


	7. A Grudging Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

 

The world rushed around them in a palate of colours as they fell, stars and lights flashing before their eyes, the air whistling about them and stinging their eyes. They could hear the roaring in their ears as memories of their separate lives flickered before them. For Thor this involved riding with his friends, battle training, picking up Mjölnir for the very first time; for Loki every second was a second with Georgiana.

 

And then the next thing they both knew, they were on the ground. Loki hit the floor first, hard, and a second later Thor crashed into him, or rather, on top of him.

 

“Get off me, you oaf!” Loki shouted.

 

“Alright, alright,” Thor grunted, rolling off him. Loki let out a gasp as air filled his lungs once more. “I didn’t know you were under me, sorry.”

 

Glancing around at their surroundings, Loki glared at him. “I hate you,” he stated, clambering to his knees and brushing dust from his armour. “I actually hate you.”

 

“I said I was sorry,” Thor countered, testily. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

 

“I don’t hate you for that, I hate you for everything else,” Loki snapped. “Why the Hel did you have to move when I told you keep still? Do you not listen to _anything_ anyone ever says to you?”

 

“You had me, I thought we’d be alright!” Thor snapped back, heatedly.

 

“Well, that answers my question, then! You _thought!”_

 

“What is your problem?”

 

 _“You_ are my problem! It’s because of you we’re now stuck here, wherever _here_ is!”

 

They both looked around them. They were on Midgard. Well, Loki reflected, it could have been worse. They would have ended up somewhere completely unfamiliar and incredibly dangerous.

 

“Midgard,” Thor pointed out.

 

“Yes, I know. I have seen it before,” Loki replied, irritated.

 

Thor glanced at him. “Right. Your wife. I was forgetting.”

 

“Could have fooled me,” Loki muttered.

 

Thor ignored him and glanced at the sky. “We were sucked into a wormhole; how the Hel did we end up here?”

 

 _“I_ brought us here,” Loki replied, stiffly. “With magic.”

 

Thor actually looked impressed. “Really?”

 

“Yes, and it _wasn’t easy,”_ Loki returned, shaking his head. That was something of an understatement; unlike most spells which were as simple to him as putting on shoes, the power of teleportation, particularly when falling, was a lot more tricky to master, and doing so always left him feeling drained of energy. It would be at least a day before he would be able to perform spells properly again.

 

“Well, good, we can get back to Asgard,” Thor piped up, cheerfully.

 

Loki scowled at him. “It doesn’t work like that. Teleportation’s difficult, especially when it involves more than one person being displaced. It’s the Bifrost or nothing for us.”

 

Thor glanced at the sky again. “Without the Bridge-”

 

“We’re trapped here,” Loki finished.

 

Thor sighed. “Damn it!” he muttered, kicking at a nearby rock. Loki just closed his eyes and thought about Georgiana. She would have no idea what was going on, and no one would be able to tell her until they fixed the Bifrost Bridge, or at least until his magic was fully functional again. He supposed that his memories of her were the reason his magic had latched onto Midgard as a landing haven, subconsciously.

 

“What do we do?” Thor asked, presently.

 

Loki opened his eyes. “What do you mean “we?”

 

“Well, we’re in this together,” Thor pointed out.

 

“Only because you wouldn’t listen to me,” Loki returned. “If you had just ignored Malekith in the first place, we wouldn’t be here.”

 

“And I suppose that you would have let that comment slide?” Thor snapped back.

 

“If it kept us both safe, then yes!” Loki exclaimed. “Has no one taught you to think properly; is that it? Or do you just think that you know better than everyone else in the whole of the Nine Realms? Act first, think later, is that it?”

 

“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Thor said, stiffly.

 

“Perhaps not, but it’s making me feel better,” Loki sighed. He turned his head, wondering just where about on Midgard they were. If they were anywhere near to where Margaret lived, at least then he could have some shelter for a while until the Bifrost was repaired.

 

Thor looked where he was looking. “Recognise anything?”

 

“No,” Loki sighed. “Parts this place all look the same to me. We could be anywhere.”

 

“Well, I think we should try that way,” Thor replied, pointing with Mjölnir in the direction of a patch of forestland.

 

 _“We?”_ Loki repeated again. “You can go that way if you want, but since I’ve got no desire to spend even another second in your company, I’m going this way.”

 

He made off in the opposite direction. To his annoyance, however, Thor ran after him. “Loki,” he began, and Loki whirled around to face him.

 

“What gives you the right to address me as if we’re friends?” he snapped.

 

“Fine, then, _Your Highness,”_ Thor scorned, and Loki twitched but didn’t react any further. “We can’t go running off in opposite directions like this; we need to stick together.”

 

“Why?” Loki spread his arms. “So you can end up putting us in even more danger?”

 

“Alright, so I made a mistake,” Thor sighed. “But we’re supposed to be allies.”

 

“And do you know what allies do?” Loki challenged. “They trust one another. But the last time we met, you proved that you don’t trust me one bit.”

 

He turned on his heel and marched off along the country track. With a heavy sigh and an eye roll, Thor followed him. “Look, we can help each other now,” he insisted. “You know, as allies; you watch my back, I watch yours.”

 

“I wouldn’t trust you to watch my back,” Loki retorted. “I could wake up with the Norns in Valhala tomorrow if I did that.”

 

“Now who’s being distrustful?” Thor couldn’t help ribbing.

 

Loki stopped in his tracks and whirled to face him. “Oh, I’m sorry, Prince Thor! I can’t think why I shouldn’t have any reason to trust you whatsoever! Oh, wait, let’s recap shall we? You think that all Frost Giants are savage and inhumane monsters! You react to insults that lead people into dangerous situations! You’re the reason that we’re standing here now with no way back to Asgard or Jotunheim until the bridge is fixed again! And on top of that, well, what could be worse? Oh yes, of course, I was forgetting – you kidnapped my wife!”

 

Thor, however, reacted rather coolly to Loki’s rant as he folded his arms and simply asked “Finished?”

 

Loki lost it. He couldn’t help himself. He just lost it completely. And Thor certainly hadn’t been expecting him to; nor had he expected a punch delivered by a Frost Giant “runt” to have the same strength as his own and to be able to knock him off his feet. At any rate, it was all over in a matter of seconds, and even as his hand stung slightly with the pain of contact, Loki was somewhat satisfied about having quite literally wiped the smug smile off Thor’s face.

 

“Do you never accept responsibility for _anything_ you do?” he snapped, hotly, as Thor pushed himself upright and rubbed his nose. Thankfully nothing was broken, although the blow had hurt rather a lot. “Do you even care about how shaken up she was? Or how shaken up _I_ was at the thought of having lost her?”

 

Thor looked up at him. “It _was_ an accident.”

 

“Of course,” Loki replied, lacing his words with all the sarcasm he possessed. “Because of course there’s no possible way that a Frost Giant could fall in love with a human; it’s no wonder you got confused!”

 

Thor clambered to his feet. “If you’d seen things through _my_ point of view-!”

 

“Try looking at them through _mine!”_ Loki interrupted. “Georgiana is the most important thing in my life and you tried to take her away from me because you _didn’t think!”_

 

They both glared at one another and then Thor broke the silence. “Fine. You’re clearly determined that you don’t need my help, but I can at least swallow my pride and admit that I need yours right now. So, like it or not, we’re stuck here together.”

 

Loki folded his arms. Georgiana would want them to work together, he knew, or rather she would want him to help Thor at a time like this. He could almost hear her voice inside him, urging him on.

 

_“Please, Loki, for my sake? He needs your help. Wouldn’t you want someone to help me if I was in his position?”_

 

He folded his arms and let out a sigh. “Fine,” he said, stiffly. “But I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for her. She wouldn’t want me to just abandon you.”

 

Thor nodded. “Thank you.”

 

With a scowl, Loki turned and began to make his way along the track. Thor followed. “This doesn’t make us friends or anything,” he reminded Thor. “I still hate you.”

 

“Fine,” Thor replied, still irritatingly cool about the whole ordeal.

 

“How’s the nose?” Loki asked.

 

Thor rubbed it again. “I don’t think you broke anything.”

 

“Pity,” Loki muttered, with venom. “I must try harder next time.”

 

Thor almost laughed, until he realised that Loki wasn’t joking. “You hit as hard as your wife, you know that?” he said instead.

 

“I should hope so. I taught her everything she knows.” Loki stopped, suddenly, and turned to him. “Wait; she hit you?”

 

Thor nodded. “Slapped me. Rather hard too, I might add.”

 

Loki allowed himself to smile. “That’s my girl.”

 

They walked in silence for a while until they reached a milestone, reading Daventry 30 miles, and pointing dead ahead. Loki allowed himself to relax a little. “Right,” he muttered, “I know where I’m going now.”

 

“What’s Daventry?” Thor asked.

 

“Didn’t you read anything about Midgard when you were a child?” Loki asked, with a scowl.

 

“I don’t have the patience for reading,” Thor replied, flatly.

 

“Clearly,” Loki muttered, and then went on before Thor could respond to that snipe, “Daventry’s a large town close to where Georgiana was born. Her Mother still lives there.”

 

“Great,” Thor replied, waving a hand. “Lead on.”

 

“I intend to,” Loki muttered.

 

Thor learned rather quickly that Loki was in no mood for talking as they walked. Still, he attempted to remain positive about their situation, even chuckling merrily when he almost fell in a small ditch alongside the road when not looking where he was going, although that just served to irritate Loki even further.

 

“I hope you appreciate this, Georgiana,” Loki muttered under his breath, glancing skyward. “Babysitting a thick-headed Asgard Prince on Midgard was _not_ something I planned to sign up for!”

 

Eventually, however, it seemed like Daventry was getting no nearer and they both had to sit down for a while. Thor’s stomach gave a nasty rumble. “Norns, I’m starving,” he muttered.

 

“Me too,” Loki agreed, conjuring up some food. Usually his magic could do a lot better than a plate of cold meats, some cheese, some bread and a flask of mead, but it was better than nothing. He took a piece of bread and then noticed Thor glance longingly at the food. Thor noticed his gaze and looked away. Loki sighed, cursing his good nature, and then held out of the plate. “Go on, you can eat,” he said, “pacify your stomach before it drives me insane.”

 

Thor smiled and accepted the plate with a mutter of “Thank you.” Loki just nodded and went back to his bread, wondering what Georgiana was up to at this moment in time. She was probably worrying because his illusion had faded in front of her eyes and she had no idea why. He promised himself that the second his magic was strong again, he would let her know what had happened and that he was alive. Not knowing must be the worst thing.

 

“Do you miss her?” Thor’s voice broke into his thoughts, bluntly.

 

Loki glanced sideways at him. His tone of innocence wasn’t put on, it was genuine. “You’ve never been in love before, have you?” he asked. Thor shook his head because his mouth was full. “Then you don’t know what it’s like to wish that every single second of your life could be spend just you and that one person you love, who loves you back. Being torn away from them, even for a minute, knowing that they’re far away from you, is agony. So, yes, I do miss her.”

 

Thor blinked at him, taking it all in. “Are you worried about her?”

 

“No, she’s alright,” Loki replied. “She’s safe in Jotunheim, and with the Bifrost Bridge out, I don’t have to worry about any Dark Elves invading and trying to hurt her. Besides, she might not be trained in combat but she’s tough. She can look after herself.”

 

“How long have you been together?” Thor asked.

 

Loki decided to try and be civil if only to shut him up faster. “Married? Or are you asking how long we’ve known each other?”

 

“The latter,” Thor replied.

 

“Twenty years now.”

 

“Twenty?”

 

“We met when we were children,” Loki explained. “Became friends, and then fell in love. Five years ago I asked her to marry me and she said yes.”

 

Thor was silent a while and then he said “You’re lucky.” Loki glanced at him and he elaborated, “To have someone so devoted to you.”

 

“Devoted” seemed just about the right word, Loki thought, although he would never admit it, of course.

 

“I know,” he replied.

 

Darkness soon rolled in and Loki realised that they were never going to make it to Daventry today at the rate they were going, so when Thor tentatively suggest that they make some kind of camp for the night, he agreed without protest. Unfortunately for them, the ground was a bit thin on much they could use to make a shelter, but eventually they came across a slab of bark broken away from a rotten old tree which could just about cover them when propped up. Loki noted that, in spite of his disinterest in reading, at least Thor had had training in roughing it in the great outdoors, so between them they were able to rig up a make-shift tent of sorts. He just prayed that it wouldn’t rain, although he did once remember Georgiana telling him that this particular part of Midgard, which her people called Great Britain if he remembered rightly, was one of the wettest countries in that realm.

 

“Should one of us keep watch?” Thor asked. “We could take shifts.”

 

“I don’t think there’s any need,” Loki replied. “From what Georgiana’s told me and all I’ve read, this area’s fairly safe. We’re not likely to be disturbed by wild animals or bandits here.”

 

Thor nodded but Loki noted that he kept a tight grip on his hammer even so. They both lay down and stared up at the stars in silence. It was strange, Loki had always found, that all the realms were linked by the sky. The Asgardians, the humans, the Frost Giants, the Dark Elves, they all saw exactly the same sun, moon, clouds and stars every day, just from different angles. He wondered if Georgiana was watching the skies right now, praying for some sign that he was alright.

 

Presently he heard Thor fall asleep and he sighed to himself. “So much for being worried for our safety,” he muttered, rolling over. He couldn’t sleep just yet. His mind was still on Georgiana. For some reason, his thoughts landed on their first time sleeping together, although why he had no idea. Perhaps it was just due to missing her so much, a sign that unconsciously he was missing all of her, not just her presence.

_“Oh, Loki,” Georgiana breathed, taking in the surroundings. The room was lined, like so many, with those special stones that radiated the heat, but these particular ones were carved with delicate, intricate patterns, somewhat reminiscent of the same swirl patterns that adorned the skin of the Frost Giants, and in front of her lay an enormous bed, covered in furs. What had made her gasp, however, was the fact that in an effort to be romantic, Loki had had the room filled with vases of flowers, including Eisblumen and Kaltetulpe and all other exotic varieties. She turned to him with a coy smile. “Did you do this just for me?”_

_“No one else,” Loki replied, slipping his arms around her and pulling her close._

_“Well, thank you,” Georgiana smiled, cuddling against him._

_Loki hesitated, a thought crossing his mind. “Well...I want our first time to be special...but if you’re not ready, it doesn’t have to be tonight. We can wait.”_

_She frowned. “Well, won’t they be expecting it?”_

_“They’ll understand,” Loki reassured her._

_Georgiana smiled and then looked up at him. “The thing is, though, I do want to. I mean, I have been thinking about it for a long time, what it must be like...with you,” she added, running her fingers up the front of his tunic in a teasing manner._

_“Oh, really?” Loki smiled at her. “And just what exactly have you been thinking about us doing together, my wife?”_

_Georgiana giggled as he walked her towards the bed. “Well, my husband, I imagine that there must be a lot of kissing...and touching of an intimate nature...based on what I’ve heard...”_

_Loki sat down on the bed, pulling her down beside him and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “Tell me, have you actually imagined us undressing one another, Georgiana?”_

_“I have,” Georgiana replied, leaning back slightly and pressing his hand to her back, where her dress laced like a corset. “And now I would like you to undress me, Loki. I think we’ve both been clothed in front of one another for far too long.”_

_“Mm, I think you’re right, my love,” Loki smiled, his nimble fingers already loosening the fastenings of her dress. Georgiana reached up to remove the pins holding her hair in place and it brushed against his hands as it swept down loose from its intricate style. Loki leaned forwards and kissed her before softly pressing kisses in a trail down her neck towards her shoulder. Georgiana twitched slightly as he found that curve that always tingled whenever he touched it and made a small sigh of pleasure._

_“Loki, I think you just found one of my sweet spots,” she whispered, and when he kissed her there again, she trembled slightly. “Yes...”_

_Loki moved his head, kissing her shoulder as her gown opened to expose her smooth skin beneath. Georgiana made a small murmur of contentment and allowed her hands to fall to the hem of his tunic. With a small smile, Loki helped her remove it and then helped her to her feet. To be perfectly honest, Georgiana was so eager for him that she wouldn’t have cared if he had literally ripped her dress off her, in spite of it being the one she had just married him in, but she waited patiently as he helped her to peel it off slowly before tossing it onto a nearby chair. Their soft touches became more frequent as they slowly discarded the rest of their clothing and then Loki pulled her back onto the bed again._

_“Georgiana, you are so beautiful,” he told her, softly, “and I am honoured to be the first person to see you like this.”_

_“Loki, you will be the_ only _person to ever see me like this,” Georgiana reminded him, although she was flattered by the compliment._

_“Well, yes,” Loki agreed, causing her to giggle as he brushed her hair out of her eyes, “but I’m so proud that you’re mine and no one else’s.”_

_Georgiana raised her eyes to his. “And I’m proud that you’re mine too, Loki. And, well, I don’t claim to know much about what men look like without their clothes on, but..._ you _are gorgeous.”_

_Loki smiled as her eyes traced over his body. “So, you like what you see, then?”_

_“Yes,” Georgiana agreed with a smile and then, looking slightly nervous, she added “M-may I touch you?”_

_“Darling, of course,” Loki breathed. “You don’t need to ask permission now.”_

_Hesitantly, Georgiana leaned forwards, laying her hands against his chest and then leaned up to kiss him. Even the feel of her hands against his bare skin did things to him that he couldn’t describe. Slowly, Loki wrapped his arms around her waist, stroking her gently, and then pushed her gently down onto the mattress, wrapping her in a tight, loving embrace. Their touches rapidly became more intimate and soon they were both moaning softly with pleasure._

_“Oh, Loki...” Georgiana gasped, her knees trembling. “That feels wonderful...” Then, unable to restrain herself any longer, she pressed herself against him, lining him up with her entrance. “Please...”_

_Loki broke away from kissing her for a moment to look into her eyes. “Are you absolutely certain that you’re ready?”_

_She nodded. “Yes, Loki. I want you.”_

_“I want you too, Georgiana,” Loki murmured, leaning down to kiss her sweet spot again. “But you need to tell me if I’m hurting you.”_

_Georgiana nodded again, although she was still feeling slightly nervous. She had heard of it hurting before and even though she knew that Loki would never mean to hurt her, she was a little afraid of their first time doing just that. She stiffened slightly as he began to push into her and then a small yelp escaped her. “No, that_ is _hurting,” she stammered._

 

_Loki quickly withdrew from her, his eyes wide with alarm at having hurt her. “Are you alright?” he asked, urgently._

_She nodded. “Yes, I think...I just need a minute.” Mentally she willed herself to calm down and then, taking a deep breath, she nodded again. “Yes, I’m alright now.”_

_“Are you sure?” Loki asked. “You’re very tense.”_

_“No, really, I’m alright,” Georgiana insisted, but a second later pain rippled through her again and she let out a gasp. Again, Loki withdrew from her and she winced. “I’m sorry, I’m really alright.”_

_Loki shook his head. “I can’t do this if you’re in pain, Georgiana. I don’t want to hurt you.”_

_“No, Loki, please,” Georgiana begged. “I need you.”_

_“What you need is to relax,” Loki corrected her, gently. He laid a hand on her thigh, gently. “What it is it that scares you, the pain?”_

_“Yes,” Georgiana whispered, closed her eyes tightly. “I’m sorry.”_

_“It’s alright,” Loki soothed her, “but you need to stop worrying, otherwise it’s bound to hurt. Focus on something that isn’t painful.”_

_Georgiana felt her body relax as he began to stroke soft circles across her thighs. “Please, Loki,” she whispered again._

_“Alright,” Loki murmured, “I’m going to try again.”_

_This time when he entered her, Georgiana felt her body arch slightly and her eyes fly open in surprise, but what she didn’t feel was any pain. “Oh...” she murmured, softly._

_“Is that hurting?” Loki asked._

_“No, that feels...nice,” Georgiana realised. Loki laughed, he couldn’t help himself. “What?” Georgiana asked, indignantly, swatting at him._

_“Sorry,” Loki replied, sobering up, “but that does sound like too much of an innocent description for what we’re doing.”_

_“Well, it does,” Georgiana insisted, trying to work out how best to describe it to him. “I mean, it’s not hurting, it feels...comfortable.”_

_Loki breathed out. “Good,” he murmured. “I don’t want you in any more pain.”_

“Oh, Hel!” Loki muttered, sitting up in annoyance. He had been thinking about Georgiana too much and now look what had happened. What a time to get a hard-on, right in front of the one person in the world he just knew would mock. “Damn,” he muttered, willing it to go away, but it was no good. Thinking about that first time with Georgiana had aroused him too much. He was going to have to take care of it.

 

Much to his further irritation, Thor awoke abruptly as he sat up and wriggled from underneath their makeshift tent. “Where are you going?” he asked, sleepily.

 

“To relieve my bladder,” Loki lied, scrabbling to his feet and thankful that the dark hid his true intention from Thor’s eyes. “I’ll be right back.”

 

It didn’t take long to sort out, after all his mind was on Georgiana the entire time and he had had sexual relations with her so many times before that he didn’t even need to imagine it anymore, but it did take a little longer than what he had told Thor he had to do would have done. Still, he had a lie ready anyway as he made his way back to the tent, still somewhat annoyed that this had happened at such a time.

 

“You were a while,” Thor commented as Loki lay down beside him again and turned over onto his side so that they didn’t have to look at one another.

 

“I heard something,” Loki replied. “Thought it might be a human. Turned out to be a deer.”

 

“Oh.” Thor was silent for a second and then said “For a moment there I wondered if you’d been...you know...”

 

Loki shuddered. “Don’t be disgusting.”

 

“Hm,” was Thor’s only reply, a non-committal sound, and presently Loki heard him snoring again. Closing his own tired eyes, he found himself praying for the first time in his life that he wouldn’t have any dreams about Georgiana, or at least none that would guarantee to arouse him any further.

 


	8. Keep Calm and Carry On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title comes from a saying we have in the UK, coined 1939 by the British government. (Rather apt for two characters played by English actors, don't you think?)

 

“My Lady, you must eat.”

 

Georgiana sighed. Inwardly she knew that Birgitta was right, but the truth was that her stomach was too twisted with knots of worry and fear that the thought of food sickened her. Loki’s illusion suddenly disappearing like that, without even so much as a word or clue to what was happening, had sent a chill of dread through her and she just knew that something awful had happened. She had waited only a second before running out of the palace and shouting for Heimdall to open the Bifrost. When nothing had happened, she had known then that the bridge must have broken, and quite possibly taken her husband with it.

 

Now she sat in the library window, staring down across Jotunheim and willing some sign to suddenly appear to her, to prove that Loki was alright. She hated not knowing he was safe.

 

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t face food at such a time,” she began, turning her head to Brigitta and then her expression softened upon seeing the steaming bowl in the woman’s hands. “Except if it’s a hot bowl of my favourite stew, of course,” she added, taking it carefully from her. “Thank you.” As she did so, her stomach made a small grumble of impatience. She felt bad for eating, though, at such a time.

 

“My Lady, you will do no good by worrying,” Brigitta insisted as she watched the young Princes toy with the food. “You are pale; you need rest.”

 

“I know,” Georgiana replied, steadily, finally managing to swallow a mouthful of the delicious stew. “In my heart I know that you’re right, but...I can’t help it. If you’ve ever loved a man like I love Loki, you’ll know why I’m so worried about him.”

 

“I understand, my Lady,” Brigitta replied, clasping her hands in front of her sack-cloth dress. “Do you wish me to ask Urd for some sedatives for you?”

 

Georgiana nodded. It seemed like that would be the only way she would get to sleep tonight. “If you would be so good, thank you, Brigitta.”

 

“My Lady.” She turned her head, as did Brigitta, to see Gunnarr come into the room.

 

“Gunnarr,” she said in surprise, “what is it?”

 

“My Lady,” Gunnarr repeated, bowing to her respectfully as he remembered that she was now the temporary ruler of their kingdom, “Queen Frigga of Asgard has a message for you.”

 

“A message?” Georgiana sat up a little straighter. “Written, or-?”

 

“By which I mean she wishes to talk to you, through an illusion,” Gunnarr explained. “She awaits your presence in the court room.”

 

“Thank you, Gunnarr,” Georgiana replied, clambering up off the window seat and handing her bowl to Brigitta with an apologetic look. “Excuse me,” she murmured, before hurrying as quickly as she dared into the court room.

 

Frigga’s apparel was much different from the last time they had met. Her gilded platinum dress had been replaced with darker brown battle attire, but it did nothing to diminish her beauty or her regal appearance. “Georgiana,” she said, doing away with formalities at such a time as she bowed her head respectfully to the younger woman. “I’m afraid I am here to deliver good news and bad.”

 

Georgiana felt tears spring into her eyes. “Loki?”

 

“As far as we know, he is still alive, although we have no proof of that,” Frigga replied, gently. “However we have no proof he is dead either. Heimdall is scouring the Nine Realms for a sign even as we speak.”

 

Georgiana felt a ray of hope. “The Bifrost Bridge, Loki said it had broken-”

 

“And it did,” Frigga replied, “taking Thor and Loki with it.”

 

“I’m so sorry,” Georgiana whispered, and then, “Wait, so no one can cross from realm to realm anymore? We are all trapped where we are?”

 

“I am afraid so,” Frigga replied, sadly, “that is, until the bridge can be repaired. Even Loki and Thor, wherever they may be, are trapped for the time being.”

 

“But they must be alive,” Georgiana insisted. Her hands trembled and so she folded her arms so that Frigga wouldn’t notice this. “They can’t not be.”

 

“I’m afraid nothing can be certain until the Bifrost is working again,” Frigga replied, sympathetically. She reached out and stopped her hand just above Georgiana’s, the way Loki did when his illusion wanted to comfort her or just touch her. “But we can’t lose hope.”

 

Georgiana nodded. “And the good news is?”

 

“The Dark Elves were defeated,” Frigga replied, “their forces mostly wiped out by Laufey’s troops. But I don’t think we’ve seen the last of them yet. Malekith survived and he left swearing vengeance.”

 

“How could he leave?” Georgiana asked in surprise. “Without the Bifrost?”

 

“My husband believes that he may have opened up some portal to his realm,” Frigga replied. “Elvin magic is different to our own.”

 

Georgiana nodded again. “And Laufey...everyone else...they’re alright?”

 

“They are,” Frigga returned, gently. “A handful were wounded but they will survive.”

 

“Oh, Laufey...” Georgiana murmured. “He must be as distraught about Loki as I am and we can’t even comfort each other.”

 

“No one is to blame for what happened,” Frigga offered, comfortingly. “It was an accident.”

 

Georgiana looked at the floor. “Loki was trying to help Thor, wasn’t he?”

 

“Yes,” Frigga agreed. “He was trying to pull him off the bridge before it collapsed.”

 

Georgiana managed a small smile. “And if I know my husband as well as I think I do, then he’ll probably have had a trick or two up his sleeve to save them from certain death, somehow. They must be alive, wherever they are.”

 

Frigga nodded and smiled back at her. “I must go now; we need all the help we can get if we’re to repair the bridge. Is there anything you want to tell Laufey, any message I can convey for you?”

 

“If you’d be so kind,” Georgiana replied, touched by the offer. “Tell him that I will keep watch over Jotunheim until he returns, that he can rely on me to do that, and tell him from me not to give up hope over Loki, because he will return to us one day, soon. And to all our soldiers and warriors that they have been very brave and made proud kinsmen of their Jotunheim fellows, and that they all still have the love and respect of their Princess, each and every one of them.”

 

Frigga nodded, loyally. “You can guarantee that I will tell them, Georgiana.”

 

“Thank you,” Georgiana replied, curtseying, “and good luck with repairing the Bifrost. I only wish I were there to contribute.”

 

“I think with all the Aesir and Jotuns working together, it shan’t take as long as we fear,” Frigga replied, and then her illusion faded.

 

“Thank you,” Georgiana said to the still shimmering air before it stilled. “And good luck.”

 

It occurred to her suddenly that the people of Jotunheim, the ones who were not soldiers and warriors, but their families, their wives and children, their mothers and fathers, their ancestors, their aunts and uncles and cousins, their friends, needed her reassurance right now. They were in the same position that she had herself been in only minutes ago, not knowing what was going on with the battle, and she needed to be the one to break the news to them. She needed to be strong, for their sake.

 

“Gunnarr!” she called, presently, and he popped his head around the door. She turned to him and smoothed down her skirts. “Please could you let the people know that their Princess wishes to address them?”

 

“Now, my Lady?” Gunnarr asked in surprise.

 

“Yes, now,” Georgiana replied, steadily. “They need reassurance and I am the only one who can give it to them.”

 

“Very well, my Lady,” Gunnarr replied, ducking back out of the room.

 

Georgiana made her way back to the library, where Brigitta was still standing with a bowl of rapidly cooling stew. “Your Highness, I can heat this up for you,” she began, but Georgiana took it quickly from her with a smile.

 

“That’s quite alright, Brigitta, you may go,” she replied, and Brigitta curtseyed before leaving the room. Georgiana quickly finished off the rest of the stew and then, after dumping the bowl and spoon on a passing kitchen lad, made her way quickly up the stairs and towards her room. Glancing in the mirror, she saw that her hair had been mussed from all the running her hands through it she had been doing during her worrying, and she quickly ran a brush through it to neaten it. Then, after pulling on her gloves, she picke up her most regal looking cloak, which was, of course, in Loki’s colours, she tied it about her and made her way quickly to the East Wing balcony. Already a crowd of Jotun people had gathered, some with their children, and were looking up at the door she was about to walk through, flanked on both sides by Jotun guards.

 

Taking a deep breath for courage, Georgiana opened the door and immediately both guards straightened up and announced loudly “The Princess Georgiana!”

 

Georgiana leaned her hands carefully on the balcony and looked down at the expectant, upturned faces. “Good people of Jotunheim,” she said, clearly for them all to hear, “I have just received word from the battlefield. There is good news and bad news, I’m afraid. But you do not have to fear for your loved ones. The battle is won and the Dark Elves have been defeated, and Queen Frigga has informed me that all of our troops have survived.”

 

There were ripples of cheers from the crowds of people below and Georgiana smiled a little before waving a hand for silence. “That was the good news. Unfortunately, during the heat of the battle, the Bifrost Bridge was destroyed.”

 

Everyone fell silent at once and Georgiana nodded. “The Asgardians are working to fix it, alongside our Jotun brothers, but until they can do that, I’m afraid no one can leave Jotunheim and none of our soldiers or allies can return here.” A few murmurs went up through the crowd. “As such, I’m maintaining the role of Regent until King Laufey returns.” A few people nodded, understandingly. “And there is,” Georgiana went on, hesitantly, “something else you all need to know.”

 

The crowd fell silent again. Georgiana twisted her hands together before plunging straight in with what she knew she had to convey. “When the Bifrost collapsed, Loki and Prince Thor were standing on it. They’ve fallen...into one of the wormholes below...and so far, no one knows what has happened to them.” There were a few gasps of horror now as well as murmurs from below. “But we must not think the worst immediately,” Georgiana hurried on, more to convince herself than anything. “Prince Loki, as I’m sure you all know, may not have his Father’s build, but he has inherited his bravery, his intelligence and his strength, and wherever he is right now, I know that he would not want our world to stop revolving just for him. We must be equally as strong.” Tears were running down her face by now but she carried on regardless. “We must carry on as before, because our friends and loved ones are safe even if they aren’t here with us now. They will return. As long as we stay strong and brave, they _will_ come back to us. So, we must do as we’ve always done, carry on, care for one another and if anyone encounters any problems at all that they desperately need help with, please don’t be afraid to come to me, because I will listen and I will help in any way I can.” Her shoulders shaking, she took a deep breath and finished. “Thank you.”

 

The applause began faintly and then grew along with their admiration and respect for the young Princess. Georgiana bowed her head and then left, her body wracked with sobs. It had only now hit her just how much she was missing Loki, how much she desperately wanted him back beside her again.

 

Pushing open the bedroom door, she took a deep, shuddering breath and then collapsed upon the bed, on Loki’s side, she noted. Rolling onto her back, she hugged his pillow against her chest and closed her eyes, envisioning that he was beside her, holding her and that she was cuddled close to him in his warm embrace.

 

“Please, Loki, wherever you are,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears, “please be safe.”

 

Loki, for his part, knew that he didn’t have to worry so much about her in the same way, because he knew that where she was, she was safe, but he worried even so. However on this particular morning, for on Midgard it was morning, he had more pressing things to worry about, starting with the fact that his deep slumber was suddenly disturbed by Thor’s sudden yelling.

 

“Hel Alive!”

 

Loki jumped awake and turned to see Thor barrelling his way out of their makeshift tent, knocking the whole thing down in the process, with a disgruntled yelp and clambering to his feet only to dance around scrubbing at his face with his hands. Something black and small flew off and landed beside him. Loki frowned as it moved and then let out a laugh as he realised why Thor was getting so worked up.

 

“Horrible thing,” Thor grunted, wiping slime from his face.

 

“Well, he probably liked you,” Loki pointed out, watching the slug wriggle away beneath a patch of dead leaves. “Norns know why,” he added with venom as he sat up and brushed a few stray twigs from his clothing.

 

Thor shot him a look. “I see they all kept away from you, they probably sensed the poison a mile away.”

 

Loki gave a dry chuckle. “Shame you can’t seem to. They must have better senses than you.”

 

“I thought we were working _together,”_ Thor said, stiffly.

 

 _“You_ started it,” Loki pointed out.

 

 _“You_ started it!”

 

 _“I_ was just telling the truth; _you_ retaliated!”

 

They both fixed each other with a look and then Thor asked “Would your Georgiana want us to fight?”

 

Loki sighed, irritated that he’d hit the mark. “No, although she wouldn’t exactly be shocked.”

 

Thor smiled, which only served to irritate Loki even more. “Well, then.”

 

Loki sighed. “Fine,” he muttered, before brushing past Thor, “but you are _not_ to use her against me.”

 

Thor just shrugged. “It’s not my fault she’s your weak spot.”

 

This was clearly the wrong thing to say as he found out two seconds later when Loki had him pinned up against a tree with a dagger at his throat. “If you ever go saying that out loud ever again, you will wake up with this in your liver and don’t think that you won’t,” Loki hissed.

 

Thor blinked at him. “Message received.”

 

Loki let go of him and sheathed his dagger. Perhaps that threat was a little too extreme, but on the other hand...no, no, what was he saying? He had done the right thing. “If any of our enemies heard you say that, she would be in danger right now,” he explained, running a hand through his hair. “And that is the last thing I will ever allow to happen.”

 

Thor threw up his hands in a defensive gesture. “I apologise,” he said.

 

“Good,” Loki muttered, taking the lead as usual. Thor followed like an alert hunting dog, glancing around them all the time and twitching at the slightest sound. It always turned out to be a bird or some small animal, however, and each time it happened Loki let out a sigh of irritation.

 

“For Valhala’s sake!” he sighed when Thor had freaked out over a small blue and yellow bird for about the twenty sixth time in a row. “There’s nothing dangerous here, and even if there was, we’re more than a match for it! I mean, you’re an Asgardian, I’m a Frost Giant, you have a giant hammer, I have magic; we’ll be fine!”

 

He stalked away, muttering various curses under his breath and praying to all the Gods that he wouldn’t have to suffer this much longer. A few minutes later, Thor caught up with him.

 

“She has a name, you know,” he said.

 

“What?” Loki sighed.

 

“My “giant hammer.” She has a name.”

 

“Right.”

 

“She’s called Mjölnir.”

 

“Fascinating.”

 

“What?” Thor grinned at him. “You don’t give your dagger a name?”

 

“I’m afraid Frost Giants are far too intelligent to start giving names to inanimate objects,” Loki returned.

 

“Perhaps, but Mjölnir’s not inanimate. She has a life of her own.” To emphasise his point, Thor swung the hammer and sent her whistling through the air. Loki ducked, automatically expecting to get hit by it, but she barely skimmed the air around him as she flew full circle and then landed back in her owner’s grip. Much as he hated to admit it, Loki was actually rather impressed.

 

“That’s rather terrifying,” he observed.

 

“I know,” Thor grinned.

 

They walked in silence for a while, and then Thor asked “Look, is there anything magical you can do to, I don’t know, speed things along a little?”

 

“You don’t know much about magic, do you?” Loki sighed. “Anyway, my magic’s not quite working at the moment because of all the effort it took to bring us here. It’s drained a little, needs to repair itself.”

 

Thor thought for a second. “Like taking a rest during a training period, you mean?”

 

“Exactly,” Loki replied. “My energy needs to recharge.” Even as he said it, he attempted to move a small boulder that was in their way with a gesture of his hand. The boulder simply shuddered and then sat as still as it always had done. He sighed. “I can’t even let Georgiana know I’m alright, stop her from worrying.”

 

Thor considered putting a hand on his shoulder, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Loki would only brush him off, maybe even threaten him again. Nevertheless he tried to make his tone sound reassuring and comforting as he said “I’m sure you’ll see her again soon. They’re probably working on repairing the bridge even as we speak.”

 

Loki nodded and then a thought struck him. “Oh, Norns,” he muttered, “my Father’s trapped on Asgard now. How the Hel are he and the others going to manage with all your small doorways?”

 

Thor bit back a laugh, feeling that Loki probably wouldn’t appreciate it if he did start chortling at the thought. “My Mother knows a bit about magic; she can probably make the palace accessible to them.”

 

“Here’s hoping,” Loki agreed, stopping to shake dust off his boot.

 

Thor sighed and stopped where he was too, leaning over with his hands on his knees. “Where’s a horse when you need one?”

 

Loki shrugged. “I’d conjure one if I could, believe me.”

 

“Only one?” Thor glanced at him. “There’s two of us.”

 

“Fine, two, then,” Loki sighed. “I don’t want to have to share one with you.”

 

Thor suddenly clapped a hand to his forehead. “Wait! I’m such an idiot!”

 

Loki blinked at him. “Sorry, am I meant to disagree with that?”

 

Thor ignored him and stepped closer. “Look, I can fly with Mjölnir. She can get us to this place, wherever it is you want to get to.”

 

“Daventry,” Loki supplied.

 

“Right,” Thor agreed.

 

“How?” Loki asked, somewhat sceptically. “I mean, how exactly does that thing,” and here he gestured to Mjölnir, “provide transport for you?”

 

Thor gave him a look that clearly said that Loki was being completely thick. “You hold onto her handle and she flies. It’s not difficult.”

 

“Whoa!” Loki held up his hands. “No! That is not happening!”

 

“Come on, Loki, what are you afraid of?”

 

“I don’t do flying, thank you, Prince Thor,” Loki insisted, not even bothering to correct Thor about addressing him properly.

 

“Why; are you afraid of falling?” Thor asked, grinning.

 

“I’m not afraid!” Loki snapped.

 

“Come on, then,” Thor said, holding out the handle of his hammer.

 

“No, you can fly if you like, but _I’m_ not going to,” Loki said, turning and walking away from him.

 

“We agreed to stick together,” Thor reminded him, catching up.

 

“Yes, and I’m beginning to regret that,” Loki muttered.

 

This time Thor did grab his shoulder, swinging him around to face him as he brought them both to a standstill. Loki was too surprised by his sudden change in demeanour to even react.

 

“What was that about trusting each other?” Thor demanded.

 

Loki stiffened. “Damn,” he muttered, “I knew that would come back to bite me sooner or later.” Then, seeing Thor was looking at him expectantly, he sighed. “Fine, but don’t expect me to enjoy it.”

 

Thor just shrugged and then thrust the handle into his hands, still holding it himself as he did so. “Tight grip,” he instructed.

 

“Yes, I do know how to handle a weapon, unlike some,” Loki snapped, but he did as he was told even so. Thor simply grinned and tightened his own grip on the handle. The next thing Loki knew they were speeding through the air and he could no longer feel the ground beneath his feet. Gritting his teeth, he kept his hands firmly where they were until suddenly the earth jarred beneath his feet again and he stumbled into Thor. Quickly letting go of the hammer, he took a shaking step backwards.

 

Thor, on the other hand, who was more used to it, gave him a casual grin and hefted Mjölnir over one shoulder. “Well? What did you think?”

 

“Do you have a paper bag?” Loki asked.

 

“No, why?”

 

“So I can be sick in it!”

 

“Oh, come on!” Thor laughed. “It wasn’t that bad!”

 

“Perhaps I forgot to mention,” Loki snapped, irritably, “but Frost Giants aren’t born for flying!”

 

Thor just shrugged and glance over his shoulder. “Well, it worked, didn’t it? Saved us time?”

 

Loki glanced in the direction he was looking and saw the road sign that read Welcome to Daventry just a little way behind them. “Fine,” he sighed, straightening his tunic. “I’ll admit it was a good idea, but that’s it.”

 

“Each to his own,” Thor shrugged.

 

“Do you have to be so agreeable all the time?” Loki sighed.

 

Thor frowned. “What’s wrong with being agreeable?”

 

“It makes it harder to hate you,” Loki muttered.

 

Thor just laughed. Loki rolled his eyes and pushed past him, glad to be the one taking the lead again. “Hey, wait up,” Thor grinned, running after him. “So, where does your wife’s mother live?”

 

“Althorp House,” Loki answered. “Follow me.”

 


	9. Not Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

Laufey sighed as he watched Frost Giants and Aesir alike working hard to repair the Bifrost Bridge. This was what an alliance between worlds was about, working together, but it hurt knowing that they were having to work together in order to regain something that both sides had lost. He was too wise to blame anyone for what had happened, to his mind it was an unfortunate accident, no sense blaming anyone else, even the Dark Elves, even though they were at fault, and now all he could feel was worry. 

 

A hand touched his shoulder and he turned, startled, to see Frigga seating herself beside him. He fixed his look of anxiety into a gentler one, although the anxiety still showed in his eyes, and who could blame him for it? Certainly not the woman who had also watched her own son plummet to almost certain doom. Even if Thor and Loki were alive, which of course everyone was praying they were, there was no telling where they could have landed and for all anyone knew they could be in mortal danger even at this very minute.

 

“I’m sure your son is alright,” Frigga greeted him, gently.

 

Laufey smiled. He had always liked Frigga, she was very kind and reminded him very much of Farbauti in that respect. He appreciated her gesture. “I’m sure they both are,” he returned. “From what I have seen, Thor is very good at taking care of himself.”

 

Frigga nodded and then sighed. “He’s too headstrong, though, that’s his trouble, always has been. He lets his heart and his fists lead instead of his head.”

 

Laufey chuckled in spite of the seriousness of the situation. “Loki can be like that too sometimes,” he replied. “They’ll probably make a good team.”

 

Repairing the bridge was taking it out of everyone who had magic, and they were all having to stop for frequent rests before ploughing onwards in order to get it working again as quickly as possible. Fandral, who like Sif and his friends, was busily making himself useful elsewhere, had joked that it would probably be quicker if they used manual labour instead of magic to repair the thing and now Laufey was starting to think that he had a point.

 

He shook his head. “Georgiana must be out of her mind with worry too. They’ve never been parted like this before. I mean, obviously they’ve been apart before but they’ve always known where the other was then, and certainly in the last five years they’ve barely been parted from one another at all.”

 

Frigga nodded. “The sooner we can find out what has happened to both our sons, the sooner everyone can relax.” She turned to Laufey and smiled, kindly, at him. “I imagine Loki must be missing her very much, and she him.”

 

Laufey smiled again. “Indeed. Georgiana has been a delight to us all, the People’s Princess we sometimes call her. The second she and Loki met something just told me that they would be right for each other. Everyone loves her.”

 

“That’s good,” Frigga smiled. “I mean, it must have felt a little unorthodox for your son to have taken a Midgardian for a wife.”

 

“To some, yes,” replied Laufey, “particularly some of the elders who were a bit stuck in the old ways, you know.” Frigga nodded, understandingly. “But they all came to love her rather quickly. I think they were all surprised, as I was, that Georgiana is so accepting of our culture. Years ago, if a Midgardian saw a Frost Giant in their true form, they would run away screaming in terror, but not Georgiana, nor her Mother either. They are both very open minded considering that their home world is not as advanced in magic as ours.”

 

Frigga was about to reply when Odin came up to them. His already lined face was looking worn and tired, and Frigga prayed that he wasn’t about to fall into the Odinsleep. That was all they needed at a time like this. “I’ve been speaking to Heimdall,” he said, by way of greeting. “We may finally know what happened. It seems the Malekith is definitely to blame for this; he knocked Thor onto the bridge and that caused the initial breakage.”

 

“I don’t understand,” Laufey frowned.

 

Odin very kindly elaborated for him. “With his hammer, Mjölnir; when she hit the bridge like she did, it cracked and as the cracks spread...”

 

“The bridge caved in,” Laufey finished, nodding.

 

Odin nodded too. “It seems your son was in the process of saving mine when it happened, which is why they went down together. I’m very sorry.”

 

“Don’t be,” Laufey smiled, sadly. “You are not to blame for this, and neither is your son. It was an accident.”

 

Odin was glad that Laufey was thinking like this. Anyone else might blame Thor for what had happened, but it seemed that Frost Giants were more mature than to go around pointing fingers when there were more important matters at hand.

 

“You look tired,” Frigga pointed out, firmly. “Rest a while. I’m sure they can manage unsupervised for a moment or six.”

 

“Yes, dear,” Odin muttered, doing as he was told.

 

Laufey chuckled, a deep rumbling in his throat. “Now you sound like my son.”

 

Odin smiled. “How is your daughter-in-law faring?”

 

“She was rather distraught when I last saw her,” Frigga answered. “If you like I can visit her again.”

 

“That’s quite alright, thank you, but I’m sure she’s fine,” Laufey answered, touched by her selflessness. “Georgiana may have the body of a woman but she has the courage and bravery of the finest Jotun warriors. If I know her as I think I do, she will be holding up just fine, although of course she’ll still be immensely worried about Loki and the rest of us. But I can rest safe knowing that Jotunheim is in the best of hands until we return.”

 

“Poor girl, she has so much on her shoulders at the moment,” Odin murmured, sympathetically.

 

It was true. Not least of her problems was worrying about Loki. Georgiana sighed as she eventually woke up in the glow of morning after a restless night’s sleep. She had hoped that when she did wake up that she would be in Loki’s arms again and that the events of the previous day would have been nothing but a terrible nightmare or hallucination. But she was alone in the bed and though she had long since stopped crying, she felt like a piece of her heart had been cut away and it could only be returned when she was back with her Loki again.

 

Pushing the covers off herself, she reluctantly clambered to her feet and padded into the bathroom, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Glancing at herself in the mirror, she groaned, seeing the way her hair was mussed and tangled with sleep and that there were dark circles under her eyes. Then she bit back another round of tears as she reminded herself that if Loki were with her in that moment, he would probably tease her for her appearance, but not in a cruel way. He would probably say something like “Dear me, I thought I was in bed with my wife but now it seems one of those creatures that Midgards call a “panda” has crawled in with me instead,” and then she would let out an indignant laugh and swat at him with an exclamation of “How dare you, Prince Loki?” and he would catch hold of her and swear very sincerely that she was always beautiful in his eyes no matter how terrible she might look first thing in the morning and all would be forgiven. They would kiss and make up, quite literally (in fact in the process of making up, they might do quite a bit more besides) and then bathe together and laugh and talk and everything would seem quite normal.

 

Shaking her head, she ran her hands through her hair, hissing slightly through gritted teeth as she snagged a few tangles, and then turned her attention to sorting out her bath. That felt lonely too, without Loki, in fact it was only now she was completely on her own in their room that she realised just how much she and Loki were constantly around one another in a typically normal day, and just how much she loved that.

 

She bathed quickly and then dressed equally as quickly, pulling on a faded old icicle blue gown made of thin cotton over her hose and tugged her favourite emerald green coat lined and trimmed with clack fur and pattered with gold threaded swirls and spirals, like visible bursts of magic, over the top, buttoning it up for extra warmth. Finally yanking on her boots, she ran a brush through her hair, tied it so that it was hanging loose but the majority of it was out of her eyes, and then quickly made her way downstairs.

 

The palace seemed so empty without everyone else in it too, at least everyone who was absent. Georgiana was used to passing soldiers or warriors on her way to a particular room and they would always greet her politely and respectfully as they went on their way. She could feel a pang of longing burning inside her as she made her way into the dining room alone and seated herself at her usual spot right beside Loki’s chair. Anyone else, she assumed, would seat themselves in the absent King’s chair but she resolved not to do such a thing as it would be disrespectful. Were Laufey to have died in battle, then it would be another matter, but as he was still very much alive, then nothing would change in his absence, at least nothing major. She would be Princess Regent, ruler in command, until he returned and then things would go back to normal again.

 

She hoped.

 

Biting back the urge to cry again, she forced herself to eat her breakfast even though her stomach was once again twisting itself into knots at the sight of the food and by the time she had finished she had to admit that she did feel a little better about matters. Pushing her empty plate away from her, she wandered into the courtroom, to find Gunnarr already pouring over some official looking documents. He glanced up as she came in and swiftly bowed to her.

 

“Your Highness,” he said, curtly.

 

Georgiana nodded at him. “Good morning, Gunnarr. May we drop formalities and talk freely?”

 

“Of course, Your Highness,” Gunnarr replied, relaxing at once into an “at ease” pose.

 

She walked up to him. “You know as well as I do that I now have to take over the duties of running the kingdom until the King returns.”

 

“Indeed, my Lady.”

 

“And were you also aware that I have absolutely no idea how to do that?”

 

Gunnarr smiled, wryly. “I had a feeling you did not, my Lady.”

 

She returned his smile, briefly, before going back to the matter at hand. “So I can trust you to help me?”

 

“Of course, Your Highness,” Gunnarr replied. “I am happy to help however I can.”

 

“Thank you,” Georgiana replied. “So, I take it that you have a report on the state of affairs for the King to hear, which I’ll now have to hear in his place?”

 

“Yes, my Lady,” Gunnarr replied, clasping his hands officially behind his back. “I can now confirm that after much toiling and tireless effort the Frost Famine is now over and the disease is gone, hopefully for good.”

 

“Oh, that _is_ good news,” Georgiana breathed in relief. At least that was one less thing for her to worry about, the people of Jotunheim wouldn’t starve in their King’s absence.

 

“Indeed, Your Highness,” Gunnarr replied, with a nod of his head. “As far as I can see, no one is in need of help or assistance in any way and they all have enough food to last them until their own crops begin to grow again.”

 

“Well, let it be known that they can always turn to me if they are in need of anything, and I will do my best to help,” Georgiana replied.

 

Gunnarr bowed his head to her in respect. “It shall be done, my Lady.” Georgiana returned his nod, a signal that he was free to go, but he hesitated, hovering beside the table. “Any word from Asgard at all about our King?”

 

“I spoke with Queen Frigga last night and she assured me that all is well with our army on Asgard,” Georgiana replied, “but I’ve had no word since. I can only assume that that means everyone is still alright.”

 

Gunnarr nodded, thoughtfully. “No sense in worrying until it’s necessary, eh, my Lady?”

 

“Indeed,” Georgiana replied, and she watched him leave. A tiny part of her was disappointed that no one needed her today, because it left her day feeling very empty and unfulfilled. Usually, of course, this wouldn’t be a bother for her, but of course under any normal circumstances, Loki would be with her.

 

With a sigh, she left the palace, feeling quite useless and knowing that Gunnarr would come and find her if she was really needed for anything. She took her skates and made for the lake, which was, as usual, frozen, deciding that she needed something to take her mind off what had happened with Loki and the Bifrost Bridge. She was surprised to find it deserted, but then, she reflected, it was early in the morning and most of the Jotun children who came skating here were probably still helping their parents with chores or farming or else were in lessons.

 

She pulled on her skates and moved across the ice, gliding expertly. She had, after all, been skating since she was a child, so it was as easy to her as picking up a book and reading it. Loki had been amazed, she remembered, at how good she was at it. Many children her own age on Midgard had been afraid of the ice because they had heard all sorts of horror stories about people falling through the ice and either drowning or else freezing to death. But this had never worried her, and she knew that she was safe on Jotun ice because it was strong enough all over to hold the weight of many Jotuns all at once, and they certainly weren’t the lightest of beings.

 

_“You’re amazing,” he had told her, watching in awe as she came skating back towards him. “I didn’t know Midgardians could skate so well.”_

_It was two days after he had revealed his true Jotun form to her, and Georgiana was getting used to his way of using the terms “Midgard” and “Midgardian” instead of “Earth” and “Human.” It was nicer in a way, she decided; to hear someone else refer to her as a “Human” sounded so demeaning and dismissive, as if they were better than her. Being called “Midgardian” made her feel a part of something bigger._

_“I don’t think we_ all _can,” Georgiana replied, stopping just in front of him. “But then everyone else here’s scared of the ice.”_

_Loki laughed. “But ice isn’t scary.”_

_“Well, not to a Frost Giant, maybe,” Georgiana replied, prodding him teasingly and he swatted at her. She giggled and then became serious. “Are you ever going to...be as big as an actual giant?”_

_To be perfectly honest, Loki had wondered when that question was going to come, but it still hurt to be reminded of his status as a Frost Giant “runt.” He ducked his head and muttered “No.”_

_Sensing his discomfort, however, Georgiana reached out and squeezed his hand in her two gloved ones. “So, you’ll be human sized?”_

_Looking up into her kind eyes, Loki realised that she wasn’t mocking but trying to make him feel better. He swallowed, trying to still the sudden quivering of his heart. “That’s what Father says, yes.”_

_“Good,” Georgiana smiled, “because otherwise you’d be a lot bigger than me and you’d be teasing me about being small all the time.”_

_Loki laughed and squeezed her hand back, feeling better already. “I could always carry you, though.”_

_“Oh, no, you might drop me, and then where would I be?” Georgiana laughed, tugging his hand to pull him onto the ice too. “Come on, don’t let me skate here on my own!”_

_Loki grinned and gave in to her pulling. “Alright, but I must warn you; I’m very good at skating too.”_

_“I doubt you can be as good as me,” Georgiana teased._

_“Well, we’ll see, won’t we?” Loki grinned. He didn’t let go of her hand, however, the whole time they skated and Georgiana made no move to pull hers free. It was just for balance, he told himself, just in case one of them slipped and fell over, although there seemed little chance of that happening. By the time they had both had their fill of the ice they were both out of breath but happy._

_“Your nose is very pink,” Loki pointed out._

_“Aw!” Georgiana joked. “I’d rather it was blue. Blue’s better.”_

_Before he could stop himself, Loki stepped forwards and enveloped her in a tight hug. Georgiana was surprised but she hugged him back, tightly. Maybe, she thought, maybe he just wants a hug. I mean, he seems to like it when I hug him._

_“You’re my best friend, you know that?” Loki said, quietly._

_Georgiana smiled and hugged him tighter. “You’re my best friend too, Loki. Best friends forever?”_

_“Best friends forever,” Loki confirmed._

Georgiana was shaken out of her reminiscing as a snowball suddenly landed at her feet. Startled, she whipped around to see several Jotun children she knew having a snowball fight at the edge of the lake. With a smile she skated up to them.

 

“Sorry, Princess Georgiana,” said one of the boys, Njord, apologetically.

 

She put her hands on her hips and adopted what she hoped was a friendly and teasingly stern parental tone. “Shouldn’t you lot be in lessons right now?”

 

Even though the children were all taller than she was, they were still typical young children and as such they all knew that they had to be polite and behave themselves. After all, she was a Princess, not just any young woman who was pretending to scold them.

 

Kjellfrid spoke up. “We’re on a break, my Lady.”

 

Georgiana smiled, knowing that Kjellfrid could be trusted to always tell the truth. “I see,” she said, still in her parental tone, even though she was fighting not to laugh. “And you thought that rather than devote your time to private study, you would come out here and have a snowball fight?”

 

The four children ducked their heads and looked abashed. Kjellfrid actually blushed a darker shade of blue. “Yes, Your Highness,” said Skuld and Tyr nodded in agreement.

 

“Well, then,” Georgiana said, folding her arms, “it seems that there is only one thing I can do.” And she scooped up a pile of snow and threw it at them. Skuld squealed as it spattered against the front of her sack dress and the others looked at the young Princess in surprise as she grinned at them. “Let battle commence!”

 

“Alright!” Njord exclaimed in delight, already making another snowball. Soon they were coming left right and centre, and though Georgiana managed to duck most of them and got more than a few in for herself, she was completely outnumbered. By the time Gitte came out to call them all back to their lessons, they were all giggling fit to burst.

 

“I am so sorry, my Lady, if they’ve been troubling you,” Gitte apologised, coming up to the edge of the lake.

 

“No trouble at all,” Georgiana replied, truthfully. “We’ve been having a very entertaining time.”

 

“Well, thank you for keeping an eye on them at any rate,” Gitte smiled, nudging her daughter to echo her words.

 

Kjellfrid nodded. “Yes, thank you, Princess Georgiana. Everyone said that you were sad but you seem happy now.”

 

“Kjellfrid!” Gitte hissed.

 

“Are you sad?” Tyr asked, innocently. “Because Prince Loki is missing?”

 

“Tyr, that is enough,” Gitte insisted.

 

Georgiana would have ordinarily crouched down to answer a child’s question, but in this case she had to look up instead to meet the boy’s eyes. “Yes, Tyr,” she replied, calmly. “I am sad, and more than that, I am very worried about him because I don’t know where he is. But I do know that whatever’s happened, he wouldn’t want me to be sad, so I’m glad that you let me be part of your snowball fight. It did cheer me up a little bit, thank you.”

 

“Alright, now everyone inside,” Gitte ordered, and once the children had all done so, she turned to Georgiana and laid a hand on her shoulder. “You must have faith, my Lady. Prince Loki will return to you soon, I am sure of it.”

 

Georgiana smiled, reassuringly. “Yes, I know. It’s just the not knowing where he actually is that worries me. I don’t want him getting hurt. But, then, if Prince Thor is with him, then at least he has someone to watch his back for him.”

 

Gitte nodded, gently. “You know that if you ever need anyone to talk to, the whole of Jotunheim will listen, don’t you, my Lady?”

 

Feeling a sudden rush of warmth for the first time that day, Georgiana nodded. “Yes, I do, Gitte.” Then, she wrapped her arms around the woman as best as she could given her size.

 

Gitte frowned in confusion but returned the gesture. “My Lady?”

 

“Thank you, Gitte,” Georgiana smiled. “For reminding me that I’m not really alone here after all. Thank you.”

 


	10. Families Stick Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

 

There were some days when Margaret Spencer wished she never had to attend another afternoon garden tea party ever again. 

 

She yawned a little, concealing it behind her gloved hand as she leaned back against the satin pillows of the carriage and stifling a laugh as she remembered how much her daughter had used to complain about such things.

 

_“They’re so boring, Mama,” she would whine. “Why do we have to go to them?”_

_“Because, sadly, Little Gee, we are women,” Margaret would reply, “and therefore we are tasked with all the boring pastimes whilst the men may do as they please.”_

 

Small wonder she was enjoying her new life in Jotunheim so much, she reflected, glancing idly out of the window. She herself had never visited the realm, convinced that in such icy conditions she wouldn’t last even a second with two legs that could barely plough through snow and which even now, in the turn of autumn, had difficulty in wet or slippery areas of ground, but Laufey, Loki and Georgiana had described it to her so vividly that she could picture it easily in her mind’s eye.

 

Open-minded as she was to most things, for after all she perceived herself as a modern woman in this sleepy, unimaginative time, Margaret had, she would gladly admit it, been a little startled by Laufey’s revelation that he and his son were not only people from another realm (and she, like her daughter, had been previously unaware that there even _were_ Nine Realms in the entire cosmos) but that they were also a race of Giants, of all things. Of course, such a thing hadn’t repulsed her, she had been very interested to learn of them and their cultures, but the notion that one was courting her daughter had just come as a bit of a surprise, that was all. But the more Laufey had talked with her, the more she had come to realise that their two cultures weren’t really that different after all. Frost Giants cared for their loved ones just as humans did; they were intelligent, gentle beings but also strong warriors when the occasion called for it, and in spite of his size, she hadn’t thought of him as scary or threatening in any way.

 

When the notion of their children marrying had come up, she had been so moved by Loki’s admission of love, the depth of his feelings for her daughter, that she had readily given her consent.

 

Margaret shifted slightly in the carriage, taking the weight off her already aching feet for a moment. A lot of the women she had been taking tea amongst today had wanted her to accompany them on a turn about the grounds and she hadn’t had the heart to refuse them. Besides, she reflected, if she had done, then they would have been fussing over her and treating her like an elderly woman who oughtn’t to set foot outside her own front door anymore, and she wasn’t quite _that_ yet.

 

She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking that it had been something of a while since her daughter and the Jotun family she had married into had visited her. Perhaps there was a problem with the Bifrost, she reflected, smiling a little at the fact that she knew about things like this whereas most of the women she saw every day were still unaware of the fact that there were other realms living parallel to their own that could be reached by an incredible feat of magic.

 

Even as she was thinking this, the carriage hit a bump in the road and gave a terrible jolt. Her eyes flew open as the driver gave a frantic yell of “Whoa!” to his horses and the whole thing stuttered to a halt. She quickly rapped on the carriage roof.

 

“Did we lose a wheel?” she called.

 

“I don’t know, Madame,” the driver called back to her. “But we went over a terrific bump. Hold on, I’ll see what the problem is.”

 

Margaret waited patiently until his rugged, weather-worn face appeared at her carriage window. “Sorry, Madame, but we have lost a wheel, it seems. Gone right clear across that field.”

 

He pointed with a wave of his arm.

 

“Oh, dear,” Margaret sighed, opening the door. “How tiresome.”

 

“Careful of the mud, Madame,” the driver advised her, but he didn’t stop her from getting out. “I’ll be right after that wheel and hopefully we can be off again as soon as possible.”

 

“No rush,” Margaret replied, mildly. After all, they were only a mile or so away from the house and she had no further appointments today. In an odd sort of way, much as she had found the garden party boring, she had sort of been disappointed when it had finally ended. After all, the house felt so empty now that Georgiana had left to live on Jotunheim, and whilst she was happy for her daughter’s happiness, she wasn’t really looking forward to another evening alone with no one to talk to but the servants.

 

Glancing around her surroundings, Margaret straightened up suddenly and squinted into the distance. At the top of the road they had just come down, two figures were just about visible on the horizon. She shielded her eyes with her hand and peered at them. One was large of build, bulky and blonde, dressed in red and grey and carrying... _something,_ she couldn’t tell _what_ at this angle, in one hand. But the other was thinner of build, dark and wearing a very familiar shade of green.

 

Startled, Margaret frowned as they came a little closer, wondering what was going on. The first figure she was certain she had never seen before in her life, because she would certainly remember someone built like a bear, but she knew the second figure and the absence of a third, petite, blonde figure, worried her as she began to walk quickly towards them.

 

Loki, for his part, was desperate for three things; a bath of some kind, Georgiana and to be as far away from Prince Thor as possible, and as long as being with his wife came first, he didn’t particularly care which order the other two desires happened in. The walk from the sign stating Welcome to Daventry was longer than he had anticipated, and he was inwardly praying that Althorp House would suddenly just appear on the horizon as if by magic.

 

There was a tiny part of him that hoped, selfish as it may seem, that Margaret would allow him to stay a while but turn Thor away. He knew, however, that it was a vain hope. Georgiana had inherited her own kind nature from her Mother.

 

_Darling, I’m sorry, I know I promised you I’d help him, but right now I’m starting to wish I’d just let him fall off the Bifrost Bridge!_

“Hullo.” Thor suddenly nudged him, harder than he had actually meant to and Loki staggered to one side. Scowling and rubbing a now bruised elbow, Loki glared at him as Thor pointed into the distance. “Someone’s coming.”

 

Loki glanced in the direction of his hand and then felt a twinge of relief. Ignoring Thor for a second, he quickened his own pace, meeting Margaret right in the middle of the road.

 

“Loki,” Margaret said in surprise, bestowing a hug upon him. Loki returned it, having never been more glad to see her in his life. The thought of wandering even another day with this oafish Asgardian was just unbearable. “What’s going on?” She frowned as they parted, maternal worry creasing her brow. “Where’s Georgiana?”

 

“She’s back in Jotunheim,” Loki reassured her. “She’s safe.”

 

“Safe?” Margaret looked even more worried now. “Why? What’s happened?”

 

“The Dark Elves invaded Asgard,” Loki replied, running a hand through his already mussed hair. “The Frost Giants were called upon to help, but the Bifrost Bridge was damaged and it broke, so I can’t get back to her. But she’s just fine,” he added, seeing Margaret’s eyes widen in worry. “She didn’t join the battle. I left her in the palace so she wouldn’t get hurt.”

 

Margaret relaxed a little, although she still looked worried. “But what about the others? Your Father?”

 

“Trapped in Asgard until they can repair the Bifrost,” Loki replied. “And now we’re trapped here.”

 

“Good Lord,” Margaret exclaimed. “But thank heavens you’re safe!”

 

Loki smiled, fleetingly, at her. “It’s Georgiana I’m worried for. She has no idea what’s happened. I drained some of my magic bringing us here so I can’t let her know yet.”

 

Margaret gave him a sympathetic smile and touched his arm. “If I know my daughter, she must know inwardly that you’re alright, even if she doesn’t know it yet.”

 

Thor had finally come up and now he stood with both hands holding Mjölnir, waiting patiently to be introduced. Margaret glanced up at him and Loki took a deep breath. “Margaret, allow me to introduce Prince Thor of Asgard,” he said, before turning to Thor and indicating Margaret. “Georgiana’s Mother, Lady Margaret of Althorp House.”

 

Thor bowed his head. “An honour to meet you, my Lady. I have already had the pleasure of meeting your daughter.”

 

Loki scowled at him, resisting the urge to remind him of the circumstances of their first meeting, as Margaret nodded and smiled at him. “It is I who am honoured, Your Highness. I must admit, you are the first Asgardian I have ever met.” Then, turning to Loki, she added, “Have you any idea when the Bifrost will be repaired?”

 

“None whatsoever,” Loki admitted. “As soon as possible, I hope. Until then-”

 

“Until then you must stay at Althorp House,” Margaret interrupted firmly, as Loki had known she would. “Both of you.”

 

Before Loki could object, Thor cut in, politely, “Oh, we couldn’t intrude-”

 

“Nonsense,” Margaret interrupted, briskly. “What sort of Mother-in-Law would I be if I let my daughter’s husband and his friend fend for themselves in a strange realm?”

 

Turning, she led the way back to the stationary carriage. Loki quickly jogged to fall into step beside her. “Just for the record, he’s _not_ my friend,” he muttered.

 

“Oh.” Margaret looked surprised. “But I thought you were allied with Asgard.”

 

“Be that as it may,” Loki replied, with a sigh, “we don’t get along, or rather _I_ don’t get along with _him.”_

 

“Oh.” Margaret understood that Loki would rather not talk about it at that moment and smiled, reassuringly. “Tell me later,” she added in an undertone as they reached the carriage. Automatically, Loki helped her in and she shot him a grateful look, before glancing at the driver, who grinned apologetically at him as he fixed the wheel back on.

 

“Wheel come off, Sir,” he explained, doffing his cap at the pair of them.

 

“I’m not surprised in such conditions,” Loki replied, mildly, before climbing in and seating himself opposite Margaret. He had a fleeting vision of Thor attempting to drag his swollen head inside the carriage and failing miserably, which cheered him a little although he managed not to show it as Thor clambered in beside him. He bit back a sigh and leaned back against the seat as the driver shut the door, clambered back onto his perch and cracked the whip to make the horses go again.

 

They were quiet as they went. Loki was inwardly itching to tell Margaret absolutely everything that had happened, but he didn’t want to do so in front of Thor. Glancing at her face, he could see that she was itching to ask him to tell her everything, but again, she didn’t want to do so in front of their “guest.” The silence was awkward but bearable. Eventually, however, the carriage swept through the gates and Thor broke the silence by politely commenting “You have a lovely home, Lady Margaret.”

 

“Thank you,” Margaret smiled. “It was commissioned by my late husband. Sadly, he never got to see our daughter married, but I know he would have approved of her choice of husband.”

 

This time Loki couldn’t conceal his pleasure at seeing Thor squirm awkwardly at that. Of course, Margaret didn’t mean anything by her choice of words, merely to compliment Loki and state that her husband would have readily given his consent to allow him to marry Georgiana had he still been alive, but her words had hit home with Thor because it sounded like she was accusing him of being disrespectful of Frost Giants. He smiled but said nothing, watching Thor stumble awkwardly out of the carriage and alighting beside him himself a few minutes later.

 

He felt a small rush of something as he glanced up at the house. Like coming home. He supposed it was to do with the fact that, for most of her life, this had been Georgiana’s home and being here suddenly felt like being nearer to her. Automatically, he attempted a spell, just a simple one to lift a fallen flower on the lawn. It twitched and straightened a little, and then flopped over again. He bit back a sigh of irritation and disappointment as he followed Margaret towards the threshold of the house.

 

“Make up two of our guest rooms, will you?” Margaret instructed the nearest chambermaid as she handed her gloves and cloak over to her. “Unless you boys would rather share?” she added, teasingly.

 

“No!” both Thor and Loki yelped in unison.

 

Margaret blinked and then laughed.

 

“Been there, done that,” Thor explained, quickly.

 

“And never again,” Loki added, meaningfully.

 

With a smile, Margaret slipped her arm through his and led them into the parlour. “Now,” she said, tactfully changing the subject as she sat down on the nearest sofa, “tell me all that’s been happening in Jotunheim.”

 

Loki was only too happy to do so, although in front of Thor, he skirted around the issue of Georgiana’s “kidnapping” and focused more on the Frost Famine. Margaret listened and nodded in sympathy, admiring Laufey’s kindness and resourcefulness in such a harsh time, and Thor listened too, similarly amazed by it. The conversation turned to their fall from the Bifrost Bridge, and kept up over dinner, which both Princes took the time to savour, having not had much to eat since they had left Asgard, and Loki was beginning to wonder if he and Margaret would ever get to talk alone together. But eventually, night began to set in and Margaret suggested that they all retire for the night. Thor thanked her gallantly before allowing a servant to show him the way to his room whilst Margaret took the opportunity to finally talk with Loki in private.

 

“Look, what is troubling you, Loki?” she asked, gently. “From what I can see, Prince Thor seems a perfect gentleman.”

 

“Well, I thought that too,” Loki admitted, “until he kidnapped Georgiana.”

 

Margaret blanched in shock and caught his arm. “He what?”

 

“It was a mistake,” Loki began.

 

“What? He _accidently_ kidnapped my daughter?” Margaret exclaimed.

 

“Yes.” Loki winced because she had tightened her grip on his arm without realising it. “Apparently he thought that because she was Midgardian we were holding her prisoner against her will.”

 

“But that’s ridiculous,” Margaret replied, shaking her head. “You’re a peaceful race; you don’t go around snatching young women from their homes. How could he have thought such a thing?”

 

“Georgiana hurt her hand that day,” Loki explained. “Just bruised it after she slipped on a patch of ice, and when I took her hand, well, Prince Thor assumed that I was hurting her deliberately.”

 

Margaret let out a hollow laugh. “Well, then, Prince Thor must not know much about Frost Giants then to believe that you would ever do that to her!”

 

“He’s been fed on Dark Elf propaganda,” Loki sighed. “He thinks we’re monsters.”

 

Margaret released his arm to wrap him in a maternal embrace. “You are not monsters, any of you,” she replied, loyally. “Georgiana can see it and I can see it; anyone else is simply blind.”

 

Loki smiled, gratefully. He had come to think of Margaret as a mother figure, given that his own Mother had died long ago and the memories he had of her were extremely vague. “Well, Georgiana was just fine anyway,” he replied. “Shaken, of course, but she was able to take care of herself for the few moments we were apart.”

 

“Well, of course she was,” Margaret replied. “Takes after her Mother, you know.”

 

Loki laughed and pulled away from her. “I know I shouldn’t be worried about her now. I mean, she’s safe and with the Bifrost broken, the Dark Elves won’t be able to invade Jotunheim. I just...”

 

“You worry anyway,” Margaret finished for him. “It’s only natural when you love someone. I worried for my husband all the time when he was alive.”

 

Loki nodded. “As soon as my magic’s strong again, I’ll let her know what happened.”

 

Margaret smiled. “Well, that can wait. Right now, you two need to get some rest. You’ve been through quite a lot recently.”

 

Loki nodded and pushed open the door to his room. Turning, he offered her a smile that said more than his words did. “Thank you for this, Margaret. I’m extremely grateful.”

 

“Nonsense, Loki,” Margaret replied, smiling back. “You’re family. And families stick together.”

 


	11. Looking Through Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

_“Laufey, may I ask you something?”_

_“You may, Georgiana.”_

_The library of the palace of Jotunheim was probably the most impressive one Georgiana had ever seen in her entire life. It wasn’t even the amount of books, but just the towering grandeur of the place, and the way the shelves and sculptures were all created from ice, sparkling like glass when the sunlight shone through them. She had been searching the shelves for a book to read when the King had come in to search for a book on a completely unrelated topic and Georgiana had been glad of the opportunity to talk with him alone for once, because she had a feeling that he might know the answer to the question she was about to ask a little better than Loki would. After all, he was older and wiser to the Nine Realms than his son._

_She took a deep breath. “If Loki and I were to have children...and the chances are we probably will someday...would they be...human-sized?”_

_Blushing deeply, she bowed her head, hoping that she had not offended him with her curiosity. To her relief, however, Laufey seemed to understand that she meant no disrespect as he paused in what he was doing to consider her question._

_“Um...” he pondered, thoughtfully, “I think they would, yes, because you’re both human seized, so the genes would pass through you.”_

_“That’s what I thought,” Georgiana replied._

_“I mean, to my knowledge, there’s never actually been any record of a Frost Giant marrying a human before,” Laufey added, “but if Loki were full Frost Giant size, there would probably be a chance that your children would inherit that from him. But since you’re both human sized, it’s more likely that they will be too.”_

_Georgiana smiled. “In a way, I’m glad. I mean, I don’t actually know how large Frost Giants are at birth-”_

_“Oh, much larger than human babies,” Laufey cut across her with a smile. “By your human standards, they’d be about the size of a healthy four year old.”_

_Georgiana blanched. “Goodness! I don’t think my body would be able to cope with that.”_

_Laufey chuckled. “Then it’s just as well Loki is only a little taller than you.” He glanced at her. “They will be blue, of course, like the rest of us.”_

_Georgiana smiled. She could picture them now, several children, blue of skin, dark of hair, like smaller versions of Loki, running around the palace. She reached out and touched the old King’s hand. “I will still love them. I know my Mother will as well.”_

_Laufey returned her smile. “It would be best to teach them Loki’s magic so that they may disguise themselves in human form, just for when you visit her on Midgard.”_

_He marvelled at what she had said, however. “I will still love them.” Most human were frightened by the things they were not used to or did not understand. Georgiana was a wonder._

_“Do you think Loki wants to be a Father, though?” Georgiana asked, slightly nervously. After all it wasn’t something they had discussed together yet and she hoped that even if Loki had no desire for them to have children together that were she to suddenly become pregnant he would change his mind and love their children just as much as she would. She quickly shook that thought away, of course he would, he loved her and wanted her to be happy._

_“I think,” Laufey replied, with a mischievousness that reminded her of her husband and proved that they really_ were _related, “that that’s a question best put to him, don’t you?”_

Georgiana roused herself from her dream of that conversation. She blinked and then twisted around, disappointment twinging within her at once again finding herself alone in the fur-lined bed she usually shared with Loki. With a sigh, she seized his pillow and hugged it against her chest as she stared up at the ceiling. She seemed to have stopped crying for him; now she just felt empty and hollow, and almost without a purpose, almost, for after all it was her duty to run Jotunheim until the Bifrost Bridge was repaired. It felt so strange to wake up and find Loki not there. She had grown so used to it, and even on those rare occasions when she would wake up alone she always knew that he would never be far away.

 

And never before had he felt so far away, without the Bifrost to bring her to him.

 

Georgiana leaned forwards and buried her nose against the pillow in her arms, breathing Loki’s soft scent, the comforting smell of him that still lingered there. It gave her some degree of relief, a calming, soothing notion, but the fact still remained that the pillow was too soft and too furry and too lifeless to ever be a substitute for her husband. Plus it didn’t hold her warmly like Loki did every night.

 

She closed her eyes, remembering the first night they had shared in this bed, and all the nights since then, all the talking and the laughing and the cuddling and the pleasuring, and she smiled as she remembered the various times they would tease one another sexually. They knew exactly how to drive one another wild.

 

“Please be alright, Loki,” she whispered for about the hundredth time before finally, reluctantly, she rolled out of bed and stretched herself, preparing herself for the day ahead. Nothing felt the same anymore, waking up, bathing, getting dressed, eating, any of it, without Loki right alongside her. As she bathed, however, a thought suddenly occurred to her and she sat up, wondering whether it was something Loki would be alright with. She smiled, realising that she could see no reason why not, after all, Loki always told her that she loved wonderful whenever she wore his colours.

 

Finished with her toilet, she slipped back into the bedroom in her dressing robe and pulled open the vast wardrobe they shared, moving her dresses out of the way until she found one of Loki’s tunics. With a mischievous smile, she pulled it out and held it against her. Given that she and Loki were build differently due to their genders and that he was a little taller than she was, only a little, it would be somewhat baggy on her, but that didn’t matter. Perhaps that way she was more likely to pass it off as a dress.

 

She quickly pulled on her dark green, fur-lined undershirt over her hose before daring to pull the tunic on. It felt nice, she realised, comfortable, like being held by him, and somehow that made her feel closer to him. The thing hung on her the way her usual tunic did, only slightly looser, and almost brushing her knees, but giving a quick glance at herself in the mirror, she decided that she liked the way it looked and set about pulling on her boots and styling her hair.

 

Already a small fantasy about what Loki would do if he saw her wearing his clothes was forming in her head, and as she made her way downstairs, it gave her courage, reminding her to keep on holding on and that one day she would be reunited with her husband.

 

It was a prayer that was weighing very heavily on Loki’s mind at that very moment.

 

Margaret gave him a sympathetic smile as she watched him once more attempt to use magic. She could see the frustration in his face as he concentrated hard on trying to conjure a book into his hands, but all the happened was the thing trembled and then fell off the shelf, landing paged down and open on the carpeted floor.

 

“Damn,” Loki muttered under his breath.

 

She reached out and patted his arm. “Don’t give up trying,” she said, encouragingly.

 

Loki shot her a brief smile and then sighed as he reached to retrieve the book. “I do hate being without magic. I mean efficient magic. This is like being a child and having to learn everything all over again.” He quickly smoothed out any crumpled pages within the book before snapping it shut with vigour. “Now I’m beginning to wonder if I did the right thing by bringing us here, or by trying to help him.”

 

“And what would have happened if you hadn’t?” Margaret asked. “You might have been killed by the Dark Elves, or if not then you’d be stuck in Asgard, still parted from Georgiana. Besides, if your magic hadn’t brought you here to Earth, who knows where you might have landed, or what dangers you might have been in?”

 

Loki had to admit that she was right. “I just feel so useless not being able to-”

 

“Let Georgiana know you’re safe?” Margaret finished for him, gently. “Your magic will come back eventually. Hopefully the Bifrost will be fixed soon and then everything can go back to normal.”

 

“Well, as normal as it can be for a human and a Frost Giant,” Loki quipped, provoking a light laugh from her and bringing a smile to his own features.

 

Margaret left him the library, knowing that it was something of a sanctuary for him at a time like this, and made her way into the dining room. Whilst Loki had headed straight for the library after breakfast, Thor had decided to explore the house and she had allowed him to do that, just so that he might get his bearings.

 

Strange as it seemed, she found it a little hard to believe that Thor could think badly of Frost Giants. Of course she knew that Loki was telling the truth about this, it was just that she couldn’t imagine how anyone could view the people of Jotunheim as ruthless savage beasts, when they were clearly not. She resolved to confront him on the issue the next chance she got.

 

Surprisingly, the chance came sooner than anticipated as she rounded a corner and spotted him just a little way off, looking around the front hall. He turned and offered her a polite smile, which she returned as she made her way up to him and clasped her hands delicately together in front of her.

 

“How are you finding it here?” she asked, politely. “I know it must seem quite different from Asgard, not that I’d really know, since I’ve never been there...”

 

“It is different here,” Thor admitted, “but in some ways it seems our cultures are the same.”

 

“Oh, I’m sure all beings in the Nine Realms have some customs that are similar,” Margaret replied, approaching what she actually wanted to talk with him about with careful consideration. “Speaking of which, I was talking with Loki earlier and he told me something...rather interesting...”

 

Thor winced. “Did he?”

 

Margaret didn’t elaborate since she could see they were both on the same page. “Walk with me,” she suggested lightly, turning towards the door leading into the grounds. Thor fell into step beside her, blinking in the bright sunlight as it flooded in upon the opening of the door. They made their way down the stairs in silence and only when they reached the open plain of grass did Margaret break it. “I’m not really one for scolding, Thor, so you needn’t fear that,” she said, truthfully. Thor glanced at her but said nothing and she went on “What I want to do is...well...is merely to understand what happened?” She looked at him, seeing him duck his head and not meet her eyes. “Is it really so hard to believe that a Frost Giant can take a human for a wife?”

 

Thor raised his head and she saw that he was flushing slightly. “I had never heard of such a thing before.”

 

“Then what had you heard?” Margaret asked, gently. “All these stories of Frost Giants you’ve encountered as a child, what did they say, exactly?”

 

Thor had the decency to look a little ashamed as he recounted the details of stories he had heard in his youth. “That they are...creatures of quick temper who feed on raw meat and drink the blood of animals, that they rarely wear clothing because it isn’t needed to protect them from the cold and that they kidnap people from other realms or take prisoners of war as their own slaves or...playthings to use and abuse as they will and have their wicked way with, and that their souls are darker than the darkest pits of Hel.”

 

Margaret blinked at him. “And no one told you that those are merely stories made up by the Dark Elves to evoke hatred for a peaceful race?”

 

Thor looked surprised and slowly shook his head.

 

Margaret nodded. “You should check your facts, Thor, go on what you know for certain and not what you’ve heard. I mean, you’ve seen Jotunheim for yourself; how much of what you’ve just said is actually true from what you’ve seen?”

 

“I admit,” Thor said, “the stories were wrong about most things, but seeing the way Loki was with Georgiana, I just...” He shook his head. “If you’d been there, you’d understand.”

 

“No, Thor, I wouldn’t,” Margaret corrected him, “because I know for a fact that Loki would never hurt Georgiana, or if he did then it wouldn’t be with intent to do so.”

 

Thor sighed. “Alright, well, if you were someone who hadn’t know, you might have thought-” He broke off, seeing the way Margaret was looking at him. “It was an accident; why can no one see that?”

 

“I think they do, Thor,” Margaret replied, calmly, “but you really do need to try looking at it from Loki’s point of view.”

 

“He’s angry, I know that,” Thor began.

 

“It’s more than that.” Margaret sighed. “You know, before he met Georgiana, Loki had no friends, because his Father was so worried about him mixing with other Frost Giants his own age, worried that because of his size he might end up getting hurt by them. The pair of them have been thick as thieves since they were children; imagine that you had been like that with someone, with a girl that you’d later fallen deeply in love with and that someone had tried to take her away from you.”

 

For the first time since the incident had happened, Thor thought about it properly, placing himself in Loki’s shoes and thinking about what he might go through if it happened to him. “Well, yes, I’d be angry too,” he said.

 

“And hurt,” Margaret added, “but not just by your wife’s attempted kidnapping, rescuing, whatever it was. Imagine that someone came up to you and told you that the Asgardians were a race of savages who couldn’t be trusted and that was the reason they’d naturally assumed your wife needed rescuing. Wouldn’t that hurt? To know that someone who was meant to trust you didn’t underneath?”

 

Thor nodded, realising that what she was saying made sense. “Yes. It would.”

 

“And if that person then just insisted that the whole incident was just an accident, would that be enough for you?” Margaret finished. “Would you just accept that and move on, after almost losing the woman you would give up your life in a second to save? Would it really be that easy to?”

 

Thor stopped in his tracks and let her words sink in. “No,” he said, slowly. “It wouldn’t.” The more he thought about it, the more he began to realise why Loki had reacted the way he had to the whole incident. “I think I understand now.”

 

Margaret smiled. “Love is a complex emotion, Thor, it is never as simple as it seems. Take it from someone who knows what they’re talking about.”

 

She turned and began to walk back towards the house. Thor, however, continued walking, his brain now reeling with all that Margaret had made him think about. Now he had put himself in Loki’s place, imagined what it must feel like to have the love of your life snatched away from you, even if it was only for a few minutes, it was hard not to feel truly sorry for what he had done. And all this time, when he had seen for himself what Frost Giants were truly like, that they were not the monsters everyone else made them out to be, he had still doubted. Margaret was right. Even though she had never explicitly said it, he was a fool for having assumed that Loki, the man who had seemed so level-headed, intelligent and thoughtful within the conference room, could also be so callous and shallow as to deliberately hurt a young Midgard woman.

 

That didn’t explain why she had looked nervous when he spoke to her, though. Unless...unless it was not his tone but his words that had scared her. Perhaps he had spoken of a potential oncoming war, or something else that would send chills down anyone’s spine, some kind of fear about something, and he had misinterpreted it as something sinister.

 

He wanted to kick himself.

 

Taking a deep breath, he turned, briskly, and walked back towards the house. His Father had been right too; because of his thoughtlessness, his stupidity, war could have broken out between their two realms, and instead of accepting the facts, that he was a complete idiot who had lost his head for no reason, what had he done? Stubbornly insisted that he was the one in the right, or at least that he thought he had a good reason for it.

 

And it hadn’t been his place to get involved anyway.

 

So, why had it taken an older Midgard woman to make him see sense?

 

He was still surprised that she wasn’t angry with him for having “kidnapped” her daughter. Still, she seemed like a patient and understanding woman, so she was probably wiser than that, he reflected.

 

Loki, on the other hand...

 

He collared the nearest servant as he stepped into the house. “Pardon me, but you don’t happen to know where I might find Loki, do you?” he asked. They needed to talk, and talk properly this time, he knew, not just bicker with one another. This had to stop. It could seriously damage their alliance otherwise.

 

“I believe that he is in the library,” the man replied. “Two doors down the hall on your left, Sir.”

 

“Thank you,” Thor replied, making his way there.

 

Loki was sitting on the window seat, flicking through the book he had succeeded in knocking to the floor earlier, although his heart wasn’t really in reading as his mind was still on Georgiana, as it had been for the last two days. Glancing up at the sound of the door opening, he bit back a sigh at seeing it was Thor, but said nothing, keeping his eyes fixed on the page until he felt that the Asgard Prince was standing right in front of him. Only then did he look up.

 

“We need to talk,” Thor said.

 

Loki flicked his eyes back to the page he had been “reading,” even though he was slightly intrigued by this statement. “What about?” he asked, his tone flat and unamused.

 

“I never said sorry.”

 

Loki frowned and looked up at him again. “What?”

 

“I never said sorry,” Thor repeated.

 

Loki was still confused. “I’m sorry, I don’t-”

 

“To you or your wife,” Thor elaborated. “I never apologised for what happened. I just kept insisted that I was the one in the right. But I was the one in the wrong. And I know that you must have been extremely worried about her and hurt by my actions, and that she was probably very scared by what happened, so I’m sorry. I’m sorry for any pain I caused either of you.”

 

Loki stared at him. This was a complete change from the Thor he had been talking with the day before. When he eventually found his voice, he managed to say “Why the change of heart?”

 

“I tried putting myself in your position,” Thor replied. “Tried to imagine what I would be like if I found out someone had kidnapped my wife, if I had one, how upset I would be and how much I would hate the person responsible for it.” He gave a shrug. “Believe it or not I do have a heart under all this armour.”

 

Loki said nothing.

 

Thor sighed. “Anyway, I just wanted you to know that.”

 

He turned and was at the door when Loki said “Could have fooled me.”

 

Thor frowned and turned to him. “About what?”

 

“About the heart thing.” But Loki was grinning as he said it. “I wouldn’t have thought that your armour would leave room for one.”

 

Thor realised he was joking and managed a smile. “Loki-”

 

“Look.” Loki closed the book and got to his feet. “You want to know why I hated you? Because I thought you didn’t care about what you put, not me, but Georgiana through. But if you do, then...” He shook his head and opened the book again. “It’s fine.”

 

Thor let his words sink in before asking “So, are you saying..?”

 

“That’s the closest to an “I forgive you,” you’re going to get,” Loki replied. “Just be thankful I didn’t throw something at you.”

 

Thor laughed and in spite of himself, Loki found himself smiling. “So...we’re good?”

 

“We’re allies,” Loki replied, sitting back down again.

 

Thor nodded. “That’s good enough for me.”

 

He left the room and Loki found himself thinking that if Georgiana had seen him then, she would have been extremely proud of him.

 

“Perhaps the Aesir aren’t as bigheaded as I originally thought,” he muttered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I'm getting a bit concerned that with the way I'm writing Thor and Loki in this people might start to get the wrong idea or else hope that they'll become lovers or something, so I just want to clarify that that is not going to happen here. If you're looking for Thorki smut fiction, look elsewhere; in this story both characters are straight, Loki is happily married to Georgiana and any relationship he and Thor develop is purely platonic, like brothers. 
> 
> (Oh, and I know this chapter is named after the love song from Quest for Camelot, but I only used it because the chapter's about Thor finally seeing things from Loki's POV.)


	12. A Change in the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

 

Georgiana sighed as she paced the courtroom, snow flurrying around outside the clear sheer ice windows. This waiting without knowing what was going on was killing her and she knew that the fact that Loki hadn’t sent her some sign that he was alive meant that something was wrong, and that was worrying. She badly wanted her Mother with her at that moment for some friendly word of advice, her Mother was good at that sort of thing, but of course without the Bifrost, that wasn’t possible.

 

She turned abruptly on her heel and finally sank down in the nearest seat, holding her head in her hands. All this worrying was giving her a headache and each time she tried to convince herself that Loki was alright, her imagination would run away with her and picture him in some frightening scenario, each worse than the last one. In fact she had given herself a nightmare last night, involving her husband lost in some vast black wilderness, alone, with no way of returning home, and being attacked by some great winged beasts with obscured faces and bloodstained talons and woken up screaming. It had taken a good deal of soothing from Urd and a sleeping draught from Verdandi to get her back to sleep again. Had Loki been there with her it wouldn’t have taken so long; he would have simply held her close and stroked her hair whilst whispering words of comfort to her until she fell asleep again, and she would have woken up the next morning still cuddled in his arms. Little things like that she missed sharing with him.

 

There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” Georgiana called with a sigh as she rubbed her eyes with her fingers and tried to pull herself together. Sitting upright in her chair, she looked up in time to see Gunnarr pop his head into the room.

 

“Queen Frigga to see you, Your Highness,” Gunnarr said, and then dropping his voice, “or rather an illusion of her.”

 

“Oh, thank you, Gunnarr,” Georgiana said, getting to her feet and smoothing down her skirt, fixing her face into a calm expression. “If you’d be so god as to show her in.”

 

Gunnarr nodded. “Also, there are some official papers requiring a signature, and as Regent of Jotunheim...”

 

“Of course,” Georgiana nodded.

 

Gunnarr ushered Frigga into the room before strolling up to desk with his scrolls and unrolling them. Georgiana flashed the Queen of Asgard an apologetic smile and picked up the nearest quill, signing the parchments with her looping hand. Loki often teased her about how elegant her handwriting always was, even when it didn’t need to be, and she usually responded with a line like “I’ll have you know, Prince Loki, that unlike some I was taught to always write neatly, not with that spider sprawl you call writing,” and then he would catch hold of her and tickle her and they would both laugh together. Feeling a pang just thinking about it, she bit her lip to keep back the tears and pushed the papers towards Gunnarr.

 

“Thank you, your Highness,” Gunnarr said, with a bow, before leaving the room.

 

Georgiana turned to her guest, her heart hopeful again. “Have you got news?”

 

“Not quite.” Frigga offered her a tender smile. “I just thought that you might like to hear that work on the Bifrost Bridge is almost complete.”

 

Quashing down her disappointment that the Queen had not brought her any word of her husband, Georgiana tried to smile and say in what she hoped was a bright tone of relief “Oh, that _is_ good news.”

 

She couldn’t fool the Queen of Asgard, however. Frigga stepped towards her, wishing she could take the young girl’s hand, after all it wasn’t fair for someone so young to have to go through such a time, and clasped her hands together in front of her. “I know it’s not quite the news you were hoping for.”

 

Georgiana offered her a weary smile. “No, but it is good news. At least my family are closer to returning home now and...and maybe soon...”

 

She didn’t mean to lose her resolve. She had been resolute about staying strong in front of her guest, but the Queen was being so kind and sympathetic, and actually now the more Georgiana thought about it, the more she realised just how close they were to finding out what had actually happened to her husband and the Asgard Prince, good news or bad, and the thought of it being bad news suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. She covered her mouth with her hand and took a deep breath, finally choking out the last of her sentence, “We can find out what’s happened...” before the tears overwhelmed her.

 

“Oh...” Frigga stepped closer to her, as close as she could without actually touching the young Princess.

 

Georgiana shook her head and rubbed at her eyes. “I’m so sorry, how unprofessional of me,” she said, finding a handkerchief to dry off with. “What must you think of me?”

 

“I think you’re a young Princess who’s very upset and quite rightly so,” Frigga replied, kindly. “You’ve got a lot on your shoulders at the moment.”

 

Georgiana tried to smile. “Still...as Regent of Jotunheim I’m supposed to have it all together at the minute.”

 

Frigga gave her a sympathetic look. “How old are you, Georgiana?”

 

“Twenty seven,” Georgiana answered.

 

Frigga was surprised, she had expected the girl to be younger. “Still,” she said, “you’ve a lot to worry about for someone so young.”

 

Georgiana took a deep breath. “Well, whatever’s happened, Loki wouldn’t want me to be upset.” She looked bravely at Frigga. “I’m sure that they’re both alright, wherever they are.”

 

How true that was, she had no way of knowing.

 

Loki sighed as yet another attempt to do magic failed to do what he wanted it to. Or rather, do what he wanted it to do efficiently. His powers were slowly recharging, but he was still a long way off doing the more complex magic just yet. The book he had been trying to summon had eventually flown rather clumsily, jolting about in mid-air, into his hands, but at least it hadn’t hit him in the face like the last one had. Of course Thor had sniggered, and then immediately regretted it when Loki had summoned another book to whack him around the back of the head, which had instantly made him feel better about the whole ordeal.

 

“It’s getting better,” Thor commented from his spot on the chaise-lounge where he was sprawled out with, Loki had been surprised to find, a book open on his lap.

 

“Slowly,” Loki agreed, finally deciding that that was enough trying for now and making his way over to the chaise-lounge opposite the one where Thor was currently reclining. Since having learned that the Aesir Prince wasn’t as bad as he had initially thought, Loki had decided that he could at least afford to be polite to him from now on, if only for the sake of his wife, and her Mother. After all, it wasn’t really fair on Margaret to have her two guests at one another’s throats all the time. He sat down and glanced at the book in Thor’s hands. “What are you reading?”

 

“Something called Utopia,” Thor replied, picking the book up to show Loki the front cover. “By someone called Thomas Moore.”

 

“Oh,” Loki replied, surprised that Thor actually had the patience to try something so challenging. “How do you find it?”

 

“Quite interesting, actually,” Thor replied. “Have you ever read it?”

 

Loki smiled and put his feet up on the recliner. “About six times.” He opened his own book, but instead of reading it, he hesitated as a thought occurred to him, and then glanced over at Thor. “You know what I think?” he asked, and then answered his own question before Thor could speak. “I think you might be too easily influenced by other people’s opinions. That’s not an insult,” he added as Thor raised his eyebrows at him, “I just think that maybe sometimes you let other people influence you instead of thinking for yourself.”

 

To his relief, Thor didn’t take any offence. “I think you might be right,” he said, thoughtfully, marking his place in the book and closing it. “My Mother always taught me to listen to other people and to respect their opinions.” He gave a thoughtfully chuckle and glanced guiltily at Loki. “Seems I took her words to heart too much.”

 

Loki smiled and glanced at the front page of his own book, although his mind was no longer on reading. “You’re lucky,” he said, finally, and when Thor glanced up at him again, he elaborated, “Having your Mother still around. I can barely remember mine, I was very young when she died.”

 

Thor offered him a sympathetic look. “How did it happen?”

 

“Dark Elves.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Loki smiled, briefly. “That’s why my Father’s always so protective of me. And Georgiana.”

 

“Well, you have her,” Thor reminded him. “I’d say you were the lucky one there.”

 

This time Loki’s smile was broader. “There’s not another girl like her in the whole of the Nine Realms.” Then, seeing there was a genuine sense of longing behind Thor’s smile, he added “It’ll happen for you too, you know. Someday.”

 

“You think so?”

 

“Well, you’ve got a lot going for you. You’re strong and easy going, and a Prince. I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

 

Thor looked genuinely touched by his words. “Thanks, Loki.”

 

Loki shrugged and turned back to his book. “Of course, it would have to be someone who could see past you being an utter clot at times.”

 

“I knew that was coming!” Thor laughed, and Loki laughed too. Thor stretched and cushioned his arms behind his head. “But perhaps you’re right. Perhaps one day I’ll find my Georgiana.” Loki glanced at him and Thor quickly added “Oh, I didn’t mean-”

 

“I know what you meant,” Loki smiled, reclining in the exact same fashion. “I think when I first introduced her to Father he felt that I’d found my Farbauti.”

 

“And he was alright with her being Midgardian?” Thor asked, tentatively, in case he accidently offended the Jotun Prince.

 

Loki glanced at him. “Look, all these rumours you heard about Frost Giants, what exactly did they say?”

 

Thor sighed. “Well, they weren’t nice, put it that way-”

 

“Let me guess,” Loki interrupted. “They said things like all Frost Giants are savage beasts who drink the blood of their dead and use humans and beings from the other realms as slave labour and as sexual playthings, am I right?”

 

“Something like that.”

 

“Thor-”

 

“And that you’re intersex.”

 

“What?” Loki sat up rather violently and stared at him.

 

Thor flushed. He had left that part out when Margaret had confronted him about the rumours. “You know, that you’ve all got male _and_ female reproductive parts.”

 

“Yes, I know what “intersex” means,” Loki sighed.

 

Thor grinned at him. “I’m guessing from your reaction that you’re not?”

 

“Of course we’re not,” Loki replied, heatedly. “No one is! Well, no one in the whole of the Nine Realms anyway!”

 

Thor raised a hand. “Sorry.”

 

Loki lay back down again. “You do realise that’s all Dark Elf propaganda to make us look bad, don’t you?”

 

“I do now,” Thor replied. “Margaret told me.”

 

Loki sighed and shook his head. “Dark Elves,” he muttered, “they ruin everything.”

 

They were silent for a while, just staring up at the ceiling, and then Thor asked “Hey, can I ask you something?”

 

“Go on,” Loki said.

 

“Well, I can understand you wearing your Aesir form all the time here on Midgard,” Thor said, slowly, “but how come when I’ve seen you in Jotunheim and Agard you still wear it?”

 

Loki shrugged. “Force of habit, I suppose. I’ve always worn it for visiting Georgiana, and even though at first it was a bit strange, I suppose I’ve just got used to it. Plus, it stops her from feeling like an outsider in Jotunheim.” Automatically, he flexed his fingers and caused the Jotun form to reveal itself to Thor. “And having red eyes all the time clashes with wearing green.”

 

Thor laughed and then glanced at him. “She’s...seen you like this, right?”

 

“Plenty of times,” Loki replied. “I thought at first she’d be terrified, but like everything else in Jotunheim, she finds it fascinating.”

 

Thor nodded and then turned over onto his back again to make himself more comfortable. “No offence, but I think you look better in Aesir form.”

 

“No offence, but I think _you’d_ look better at the bottom of a pond,” Loki replied, flinging the nearest cushion at him.

 

Thor laughed. “Touché!” Sobering up, he turned his head back to Loki. “Does it get uncomfortable? I mean, on Midgard?”

 

“Only in the hot weather,” Loki answered. “Plus my eyes aren’t used to such bright sunlight in this form. Well, you’ve seen Jotunheim, our sun’s a lot dimmer there.”

 

Thor nodded. “How does Georgiana handle it? I mean, she’s used to all this?” He spread his arms. “I mean, I’d probably feel a bit out of my depth if that was me.”

 

“Two words,” Loki replied. “Stones. And fur.” Thor gave him a confused look and he laughed. “Alright, you probably had thermal undergarments on under your usual clothes when you visited us, right?” Thor nodded. “But even if you hadn’t had them on, you’d have been perfectly warm inside the palace anyway. All those stones lining the floor and walls radiate heat, but with magic, so that they heat the whole place without melting the ice, or affecting the rest of the Frost Giants in any way.” Thor looked genuinely interested. “And all her clothes are lined with fur so that she doesn’t freeze when she leaves the palace for anything. Of course that means she gets some odd looks when she turns up here in the warm weather with her cloak on, but at least it means she’s not cold on her way out.”

 

Thor nodded again and they both fell silent, this time for a longer period. Then, Thor said “You should come to Asgard sometimes.”

 

Loki looked at him in surprise, both by the randomness of Thor’s comment and the content of it. “Why?” he asked, hoping it didn’t sound like an insult.

 

Thor shrugged. “Change of scenery. I mean, if we’re meant to be allies but we don’t really visit each other that often...well, what does that say about us?” He shrugged again. “Only if you want to, that is.”

 

Loki turned his gaze back up the ceiling, not sure quite what to say in response to that comment. “That’s very decent of you,” he said, finally. “Thank you.”

 

Thor grinned. “Well, some parts of the realm are very lovely, and if there’s one thing I do know about women, it’s that they can appreciate a nice view.”

 

“Yes, they can,” Loki agreed, thinking that Georgiana was often easily entranced by the beauty of a landscape for reasons that were often quite beyond him.

 

“Why do they get like that?”

 

“I have no idea. Their minds must work completely differently to ours.”

 

They glanced at each other and laughed. It was odd, Loki realised, they actually had a bit more in common than he had initially thought. Thor, for all his initial arrogance and thick-headedness, was alright really.

 

“Suppose we’ll probably never understand them,” Thor grinned, sobering up.

 

“No,” Loki agreed, “although if you ever need some help trying, I’ll be happy to give you some pointers.”

 

“Thanks, I’ll bear that in mind,” Thor replied.

 

There was a knock on the door and they both sat up, Loki quickly shifting back into his Aesir form before calling “Come in!”

 

A servant popped his head around the door. “Begging your pardon, Master Loki; my Lady wished me to inform you both that dinner is almost ready.”

 

“Gods, have we been talking that long?” Thor asked, swinging his legs off the recliner. “Thank you.”

 

Loki got to his feet and brushed himself down automatically, then attempted to magic both their books back onto their respective shelves. The first one flew back just fine, but the second went a little haphazardly and collided with the wall, dropping to the floor. With a loud sigh, Loki went to retrieve it. It suddenly occurred to Thor just why Loki was so anxious to have his magic working properly and he went up and put a hand on his shoulder. Loki was too surprised by this sudden gesture of friendship to shrug him off and he looked up at the older Prince.

 

“You’ll see her again soon,” Thor reassured him.

 

Loki managed a half smile. “I hope you’re right, Thor. I hope you’re right.”


	13. "Soon..."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

Malekith was fuming as he stalked the plains of Svartalfheim, completing a circle and then following back around to the beginning of his stride again. He had been doing this for some time now and his companions watched him, uneasy of his frustration, which he would more than likely take out on them were one of them to provoke him.

 

“Damn those Jotuns!” Malekith finally spat, the first words he had spoken since returning from Asgard. Thanks to those savage brutes, as the Svartalfhar had always thought of them, their attempt to finally rule the Nine Realms with eternal darkness had failed. “To Hel and back a thousand times!”

 

He couldn’t quite understand how they could be so forgiving towards the Aesir. When the news that the tensions between the two realms were running high due to Princess Georgiana’s attempted “kidnapping” Malekith had hoped that this would present the perfect opportunity to attack Asgard, for without the strength of the Frost Giants behind them they were an easily defeated race. And yet the Jotuns had turned up in the midst of the battle regardless and now many of his soldiers were either dead or severely wounded. Now there were only a handful of capable Kursed warriors left and Malekith felt a surge of loathing towards the Frost Giants.

 

Algrim, his most trusted warrior, and usually the only one who could speak with him reasonably whenever he was in a mood like this, stepped forwards, and the others admired him for his bravery to do so. “My Lord Malekith?”

 

Malekith swung around to him, and merely scowled his question _“What?”_

 

Unfazed by his Master’s sharpness, Algrim stood his ground and ventured “As dire as our situation might seem, do not forget that our enemies are also divided now, that is, the Princes of Asgard and Jotunheim fell from the Bifrost, and without the Bridge there is now way they can return home.”

 

Malekith glowered at him. “Is that supposed to bring me cheer?” he snapped, turning and circling his now so-familiar course once again. As he did so, however, a thought occurred to him. “And there are only two of them...wherever they are...no armies to back them up.”

 

“Indeed, my Lord,” Algrim agreed.

 

Malekith ceased his pacing and turned sharply to his Seer Kursed. “Orvar,” he barked, “how long until the Bridge is mended.”

 

Orvar, the only Svartalfhar to ever have his eyes permanently closed, or rather welded shut with searing fire thousands of years ago, to ensure that he may never lose focus of his powers, flinched at the sharpness of the tone but maintained his calm air as he answered “Three days, my Lord, at most.”

 

Malekith nodded and spun on his heel again to resume his pacing. “And the _Princes,”_ he said the word with contempt and venom, “are still in the same place? They haven’t moved at all?”

 

“No, my Lord,” was the reply.

 

“We must move fast, Sire,” ventured one Kursed warrior, tentatively, and Malekith spun, briskly, to face him. “The second the work on the Bifrost Bridge is complete, the Aesir and Jotuns will search for their lost men.”

 

“I am well aware of that,” Malekith sighed, “which is why we shall be poised to strike the very second the Bridge is repaired, no matter how long it takes. The Princes will not be expecting our attack, so we have the advantage of surprise.”

 

Algrim bowed his head, acknowledging the genius of this plan. “Indeed, Sire.”

 

“Begging your pardon, my Lord,” a second Kursed piped up, nervously, shrinking under Malekith’s piercing gaze, “but what exactly will killing the Jotun and Aesir Princes achieve? After all, they are just two representatives of their races?”

 

Malekith walked right up to this particular warrior until he was towering over him. The Kursed all shrank back further, wishing they could hide themselves away inside their shells like snails, hide away from their ruler’s wrath, as he glared at the one who had dared speak out.

 

“They may be only two people,” he hissed, “but do you forget that they are also the heirs to their respective thrones. Without heirs, both kingdoms fall. Who will rule Asgard after Odin is gone? Who will rule Jotunheim after Laufey is dead?”

 

“The Prince of Jotunheim has a wife,” another Kursed piped up in a tiny voice, quite ill-fitting for a soldier.

 

“The Midgard Woman?” Malekith let out a scornful laugh. “You think she can hold any power over the realm without her husband by her side? She is a woman, do not forget, and a Midgardian besides! She is merely a pebble on the beach amid the mountains we shall bring crumbling down!”

 

The Kursed warriors all nodded at once, knowing that to disagree or question would certainly mean death, even though at this moment in time Malekith could not afford to lose any more warriors. Straightening himself, the ruler of Svartalfheim turned to his remaining troops, who all stood to attention at once and awaited his orders.

 

“Be ready,” was all he ordered. “When the time is right we shall emerge and engulf the world in darkness. Our enemies shall fall and be as dust at our feet, and then the Dark Elves shall take their rightful place as rulers of the Nine Realms forever.”

 

This was met with a battle cry of cheers from his warriors.

 

“A brilliant plan, my Lord,” Algrim muttered in a respectful aside.

 

Malekith nodded. “Take away the Princes, you see, and you take away the futures of both realms.”

 

Meanwhile, blissfully unaware that his own downfall, as well as that of his new friend’s, was being plotted many miles away from where they now lay, Loki lay idly in the extremely comfortable guest bed that Margaret had assigned him, the room that he and Georgiana always slept in whenever they visited for more than one day at a time, tossing an inkwell in one hand and thinking. As usual his mind was on Georgiana. It was rather early in the morning, in fact the sun hadn’t even risen yet, but he had woken feeling restless and unable to go back to sleep. Finally catching the inkwell for what would be the final time that day, he sighed, took a deep breath and placed it back on the table beside the bed before once again attempting to summon a book from the shelf behind the door using magic.

 

To his surprise, the thing flew neatly into his hand barely had he made the deft summoning movement with a flick of his wrist. Loki stared at it for a second and then sat bolt upright, realising what this must mean.

 

“Yes,” he whispered incredulously and then _“Yes!”_

 

If his magic was strong enough to do this, then it was certainly strong enough to project an illusion back to Jotunheim. With a racing heart, Loki closed his eyes and concentrated hard on the one place he desperately wanted to be.

 

_Georgiana, Georgiana, Georgiana..._

 

Opening his eyes, he perceived once again the room lined with heated stones across the walls and floor and the wide ice windows that looked out over the snowy plains of his home realm. Turning, his image projected standing up rather than lying down, he smiled at the sleeping form of his wife. Georgiana had tucked his pillow under the furs beside her and was snuggled up to it, hugging it close to her, her cheeks flushed slightly with sleep, the neck of her nightgown slipped down to expose the white of her bare shoulder beneath, her hair mussed, her lips slightly parted and her eyes tightly closed, and yet she had never looked lovelier, Loki decided.

 

He badly wanted to lean down and kiss her, kiss her pale shoulder, her flushed cheeks, her beautiful soft lips, but he resisted, knowing that doing so would shatter his illusion before he had even had a chance to alert her to his presence, so instead he crouched beside the bed and whispered, urgently, “Georgiana? Georgiana, darling, wake up.”

 

Georgiana blinked and raised her head, focusing on him with a small frown. Then her eyes widened. “Loki?” she whispered, raising her hand.

 

Before she could touch him, however, Loki drew back from her reach. “Just an illusion,” he informed her, gently.

 

She smiled, feeling tears spring to her eyes. “I know. You flickered just now.”

 

“I did?” Loki sighed. Well, a flickering illusion was better than nothing and at least he could still see her this way. “Sorry, my magic’s weakened, I’m afraid.”

 

Georgiana sat up properly, feeling a swell of relief within her. “You’re alive,” she said, softly, wishing that she could touch him. “You’re safe.”

 

Loki smiled. “Yes, dove. I teleported us both to Midgard, which is what drained my magic. But it’s repairing itself enough now to be able to see you.”

 

“Midgard?” Georgiana felt even more relieved as she pushed back the covers and knelt in front of him, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “Whereabouts?”

 

“Your Mother’s house,” Loki replied, with another smile. “We landed not too far away from Daventry.”

 

“Thank the Norns,” Georgiana breathed. “And you’re alright? You didn’t get hurt?”

 

“No, I’m fine, we’re both fine,” Loki said. Then, looking straight into her eyes, he added, softly, “But I do miss waking up beside you.”

 

“I miss that too,” Georgiana whispered. Her heart gave a small twinge as she reminded herself that it would still be a while before they would share a bed together properly again. Her throat felt tight and she swallowed back any tears threatening to overwhelm her. “I wish you could hold me.”

 

“So do I,” Loki murmured. Hesitantly, he raised a hand and brought it close to her face, almost able to feel the warmth radiating from her skin. Georgiana closed her eyes, picturing the feel of his fingers against her cheek. “The second I return, I am going to kiss you breathless,” he promised.

 

Georgiana giggled. “Well, it may interest you to know that you won’t have to wait very long to do that.” Opening her eyes, she smiled at Loki’s surprised expression and explained “You are not the only one who is a master of projecting illusions, my love. Queen Frigga has been keeping me informed of the work on the Bifrost Bridge, and it will be repaired soon.”

 

Loki smiled. “Did she mention-?”

 

“Your Father’s fine,” Georgiana cut across him. “They’re all fine there. Apparently, the Dark Elves were defeated and so they left.”

 

“What, they just retreated?” Loki asked in surprise.

 

“That’s what she told me.” Georgiana frowned at him. “Why?”

 

“I don’t know, that just doesn’t sound like them,” Loki replied, thoughtfully. “Dark Elves don’t usually surrender easily.”

 

“Perhaps it was because they were outnumbered,” Georgiana suggested.

 

“Perhaps,” Loki agreed, although he didn’t really believe that this was the case. “Or,” he added, thinking of the more likely scenario, “perhaps they’re planning something else, some larger-scale attack.”

 

“You think?” Georgiana asked.

 

Seeing that his words were causing her to tremble, Loki quickly fixed his face into a more relaxed expression. “I hope not,” he said, calmly, “although perhaps we should all be prepared just in case.”

 

Georgiana nodded, calming herself down. “We have strong forces here anyway, don’t we, even those who aren’t soldiers?”

 

Loki nodded and then brought his face closer to hers, longing to be able to kiss her. “It _will_ be fine,” he said, softly, and she nodded again. Looking around for a way to cheer her up, he added with slightly mischievous smile “So, how are you enjoying taking care of Jotunheim, Princess Regent?”

 

Georgiana managed a smile. “I think I would enjoy it more with my husband alongside me, but so far it’s proved to be anything but uneventful. How are you holding up spending time with Thor; at least I’m assuming you two have stuck together? Is it terrible being stuck with someone you despise?”

 

To her surprise, however, Loki actually flushed. “I wouldn’t say “despise” as such, Georgiana...”

 

“Oh?” Georgiana raised her eyebrows in surprise.

 

“Well, he’s not as bad as I originally thought, put it that way,” Loki began.

 

“I’m sorry, is this Prince Loki of Jotunheim actually admitting he’s _wrong?”_ Georgiana teased, laying a hand over her heart to emphasise her “shock” at such an admission. Loki coloured a little more but didn’t deny it and she smiled. “Well, what’s brought this on?”

 

“Well, for a start he apologised for “kidnapping” you,” Loki replied, meeting her gaze. “And it seems that the basis for his beliefs about Frost Giants lie in all those Dark Elf rumours about us being savage beasts. But I think he’s changing his opinion about us now.”

 

“So, he’s not such a big-headed oaf after all, then?” Georgiana smiled.

 

“Not _that_ big-headed, no,” Loki agreed and they both laughed. “Plus your Mother seems to like him.”

 

That was true, he had been able to tell in the way that Margaret conversed with the young Prince of Asgard. But then, he reflected, there weren’t many people that Margaret didn’t take to easily; he and his Father were living proof of that.

 

“Oh, well, if he has Mama’s blessing, then he must be worth befriending,” Georgiana teased.

 

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” Loki smiled. “We’re allies, that’s all.”

 

“Still...” Georgiana smiled. “Here I thought you’d hate him for the rest of your life.”

 

Loki shrugged. “He sort of grows on you after a while.”

 

Georgiana took a deep breath and then moved her hand to almost cover his, longing to be able to take it in her own like they were always able to when together. “You’ll...you’ll be safe, won’t you? I mean, I know that Midgard isn’t as dangerous as the rest of the Nine Realms can be, but-”

 

“I will be,” Loki promised. “And if it makes you feel better, I’ll keep an eye on Thor too.”

 

“Cross your heart?”

 

“Cross my heart.”

 

It was inevitable, really, they both knew that they were going to attempt it, their separation was too great, to painful, for them not to. “I love you, Loki,” Georgiana whispered.

 

“I love you, Georgiana,” Loki murmured back, and then he leaned forwards and met her lips with his own. Both knew that they were just kissing empty air, but it had been too great a temptation not to do so. Had this been a typical conversation between them, had they both been in the exact same place, together again, it wouldn’t have mattered so much, one kiss very much like another, but like this, with Loki only an illusion, it broke the connection between them the second they touched. Georgiana opened her eyes to see him fading before her eyes with a regretful expression on his face and she took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry and reminding herself that she would see him again soon, for real this time and not just an illusion she couldn’t touch without losing.

 

Back on Midgard, Loki opened his eyes and sighed, fancying he could still feel the warmth of her skin, still smell the sweet scent of her hair, as if she were in the same room as him now. It was painful being so far away from her with no way back until the Bifrost was repaired. Still, he reflected, at least now he knew that she was alright and she knew he was alright and soon they would be together again. _And,_ he also realised, now his magic was almost fully recharged, so he could use it properly again, and he quickly sprang off the bed and hurried from the room, making his way towards the room where Thor was snoring.

 

“Thor!” he exclaimed, barrelling through the door without bothering to knock.

 

The Aesir Prince awoke at once with a jolt and a groan. “Loki!” Without moving from where he was lying, Thor blinked sleepily at him. “It’s not even light yet!”

 

“It’s not like you were doing anything important,” Loki retorted, quickly flinging himself onto the bed.

 

Thor groaned again and rubbed his eyes. “What is it? We’re not under attack, are we?”

 

“Yes, and the bed’s on fire,” Loki replied.

 

Thor shot bolt upright at that. “What?”

 

Loki laughed. “I’m jesting! Norns, you’re easy to fool!”

 

Thor threw a soft punch at his arm. “Don’t do that to me! Now, are you going to tell me what this is all about or what?”

 

Loki grinned at him. “My magic’s recharged.”

 

“And that couldn’t have waited until it was daylight?” But Thor was grinning as he said it, rubbing his face to wake himself up properly. “That’s great, Loki, really.”

 

“Thanks,” Loki replied, stretching casually. “I must admit it feels good.”

 

“So, are you going to put your wife out of her misery, then?” Thor asked, stifling a yawn.

 

“I’ve already done that,” Loki replied, “and she’s told me that your Mother told her that the Bifrost will be repaired soon, so we won’t be stuck here much longer.”

 

“Oh, that’s a pity,” Thor replied, not quite managing to stifle his yawn this time. “I was just getting used to the place.”

 

“Weren’t you saying only yesterday that you never really saw the point of visiting Midgard when you were younger because it seemed so primitive compared to Asgard?” Loki teased.

 

Thor shrugged and pulled the covers back over him. “Well, it sort of grows on you after a while.”

 

Loki looked at him, or rather what he could see of him, in surprise. “Yes,” he managed to agree.

 

Perhaps they weren’t so different after all.


	14. One Final Victory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if you guys feel like this story is rushed, but it seems like I don't write my stories; they write themselves and then tell me how to put them on paper. If that makes sense. Anyway, not entirely my fault. 
> 
> Also I changed Malekith a bit, he's a bit manic in this story, sorry. Hope that's ok.

Georgiana felt a twinge of relief at finally being able to give the subjects of Jotunheim the good news. She just wished that Loki were back with her, for even though she knew that he was alive and perfectly safe back on Midgard it wasn’t quite the same as having him at her side. Still, she offered her friends a small smile as she approached the balcony to address the people, butterflies flurrying inside her, but she took a deep breath and quashed them down. Now was no time to be nervous of public speaking.

 

 _Note to self,_ she thought, _leave all this to Loki in future._

“Everyone,” she announced, pressing the front of her dress down a little as she approached the railing. It felt tight on her today. The people below fell silent and raised their heads, with respect, looking up at her with expectant eyes. “I have some news for you, god news, thankfully. Well, two things, really. First of all, I have had a few messages, by which I mean illusions, sent to me by Queen Frigga of Asgard, to say that the work on the Bifrost Bridge should be completed soon, so you will all be back with your loved ones in a few days time if not today.” A rippled of applause went up along with several relieved and delighted murmurs. Georgiana waited patiently until they had finished and then went on, “And secondly, I have had some word from my husband. Both he and Prince Thor are alive and well on Midgard, staying as it happens, with my Mother, and once the Bifrost Bridge is repaired, our Prince will return to us, and then, hopefully, things can go back to normal.” She bowed her head. “That is all, thank you.”

 

There was another round of applause, followed by cheers as she turned and made her way back inside the palace. Gunnarr smiled at her. “That is excellent news, Your Highness.”

 

“Isn’t it, though?” Georgiana smiled, the prospect of being with Loki again very soon, nestled close and warm in his arms, bringing a warm glow about her face. “Now, tell me what else is in the diary for today and see if I can’t handle it as well as I am handling this.”

 

They made their way back to the Throne Room, where they both found that there were various documents and deeds that needed to be dealt with, as well as a few political problems that Georgiana did her best to solve but in the end found that Gunnarr was more suited to the task. He had been very helpful these last few days and she resolved to mention that to Laufey. Hopefully the Prime Minister would get a promotion or some kind of reward.

 

At any rate, it was something of a fulfilling day and come mid-afternoon, Georgiana found herself quite exhausted. Automatically she sank onto the nearest chair, which just so happened to be the Throne, and smiled tiredly at Gunnarr. “Forgive me, but I don’t know how Laufey can do this every single day, unless Frost Giants have a different sort of energy to humans.”

 

Gunnarr chuckled. “My Lady, please don’t take this the wrong way, but you are only human, after all, and therefore not as used to having such tasks thrust upon you.”

 

“Yes, you’re right,” Georgiana agreed. “I wonder whether Loki might be able to give me some lessons.”

 

Gunnarr looked at her curiously. “Forgive me, Your Highness, correct me if I’m wrong, but it does seem to me that you are very happy this morning, and something tells me that it isn’t just to do with the prospect of your husband’s return.”

 

Rubbing the small of her back, Georgiana smiled and got slowly to her feet. “You must have some sort of sixth sense, Gunnarr, and yes, I must confess-”

 

The doors suddenly flew open as Brigitta came hurrying in, looking flushed and flustered. “My Lady Georgiana, there you are! Oh, you must come quickly!”

 

“What’s happened?” Georgiana asked, going up to her.

 

Brigitta fanned herself as she leaned against the wall. “Oh, I’m getting too old for all this running around.”

 

“Come and sit down,” Georgiana insisted, steering her towards a chair, which Gunnarr also helped her into. “Now, what’s the matter?”

 

“The Bifrost, My Lady,” Brigitta panted, clasping the young Princess’s hand in her own. “I think...I think the King has returned.”

 

Georgiana felt her heart lift at once. “Oh, thank the Norns!” she exclaimed, before springing to her feet and hurrying outside, thankful she had remembered to put on her coat before leaving the palace.

 

“Your Highness, wait!” Gunnarr called after her, but she was already gone, out of the Throne Room, skating a little on the polished stone floors and stumbling out into the knee-high snow covered grounds. She sped up a little at the sight of the army of Frost Giants making their stealthy way back to the palace and at the sight of her, they all stopped and dropped respectfully to their knees at once.

 

“You’re all alright,” she breathed, helping the Captain to his feet, pressing his hands between hers, not flinching once at the coolness of his skin. She had missed that, she realised, that level of contact with her friends. “Everyone’s been so worried.” And then, spotting Laufey, she hurried up to him and hugged him tightly. With a small, fond, rumbling chuckle, he returned it before holding her at arm’s length. His eyes were serious. “Georgiana, they’re already starting the search for Loki-”

 

“I know where he is,” she cut across him.

 

Laufey frowned at her. “Where?”

 

“Midgard. Mother’s house to be precise.” She smiled at him. “He’s alive, Laufey, they both are.”

 

Laufey’s eyes filled with tears and he hugged her again. “Thank all the Gods.” Then, he addressed his soldiers. “I know that you are all eager to be back with your families, but I must request the Captain and two of you to accompany me in bringing my son home. The rest of you are free to return to your homes until further notice.”

 

The soldiers nodded and two of them stepped forwards, along with the Captain.

 

“I’m coming with you,” Georgiana said.

 

Laufey didn’t protest because he had no reason to, so he smiled warmly at her and nodded. “Alright,” he said, before turning his eyes skywards, “Heimdall, open the Bifrost and bring us to Asgard. The Aesir need to be informed.”

 

Georgiana nodded and gripped his arm tightly. Bifrost wasn’t exactly her favourite way to travel, but for Loki she would have taken it a thousand times over. The rainbow lights burst from the skies and carried them back to the Bifrost Bridge, where Odin, Frigga, and Heimdall were gathered along with Sif, the Warriors Three and a handful of troops, all of whom looked surprised to see the Frost Giants back so soon, but Laufey quickly explained the situation to the King and Queen.

 

Frigga covered her mouth with both hands in relief. “Thank goodness,” she breathed. “They are unharmed.” Then, she turned her eyes questioningly to Georgiana as if to confirm this.

 

Georgiana nodded. “Yes, Loki informed me that they were both well.”

 

Odin scratched his head. “To have opened a portal through a wormhole to a familiar realm would have taken a great feat of magic,” he said, to no one in particular, before adding to Laufey, “Thank the Norns that your son has such skills, otherwise they both would have been lost to us.”

 

All this was very well, but Georgiana was itching to get back to Midgard, so she added, quickly, “I imagine Prince Thor will be relieved to be back home again,” and that prompted Odin t turn sharply to Heimdall and instruct him to open the Bifrost to Daventry in Midgard. Heimdall nodded and did so, and Georgiana shot him a grateful smile, which he returned with a look that said “My Lady, I am simply doing my job.”

 

“How many of us should go, Allfather?” Sif asked, tentatively. “Should we all accompany you? They may get into difficulty.”

 

Odin raised his eyebrows at her, coolly. “I don’t see how, Lady Sif, unless this is your incredibly subtle way of saying that you want to see Midgard at least once before you go to Valhalla.”

 

Sif blushed.

 

“Actually, Allfather, it would be a good idea to bring your warriors,” Heimdall said, grimly.

 

Everyone turned to him, but it was Georgiana who spoke what they were all thinking. “What do you mean?”

 

Heimdall turned to them. “Now that the Bifrost is repaired, I can see all that goes on in the Nine Realms once more, Your Highnes, not just the realm you are about to go to. The Dark Elves have just left Svartalfheim, and they are heading for Midgard.”

 

Georgiana felt her heart lurch as she hurried forwards, Laufey and Odin on her heels. _Please, no,_ she thought, _desperately, please let Loki be alright. Please._

 

Blissfully unaware, however, of what was about to happen, Loki was having thoughts on an entirely different theme. For the first time since Thor had entered his life, he was actually feeling rather cheerful, almost his old mischievous self again, and much as he might hate to admit it, underneath that initial big-headedness, Thor was actually alright. In fact, he was actually beginning to like him.

 

It was a pleasant day as they strolled about the grounds, Loki thinking they must cut rather odd figures to any human who happened to be passing, dressed as they were in their respective Aesir and Jotun styles as opposed to what the Midgardian gentlemen wore, engaging in some playful banter. Loki was prepared to swear, in fact, that during his short stay on Midgard, Thor had changed somewhat. He seemed to listen and think more instead of recklessly plunging right into actions without a second thought. Perhaps a visit to another realm had been exactly what he had needed all along. At any rate, it was not by any means an unpleasant walk, nor conversation, and soon they came upon a very familiar spot.

 

Loki smiled. “You know, Georgiana and I got married here?”

 

“Really?” Thor asked, eyebrows going up.

 

“Right here,” Loki replied, tapping the ground with his foot.

 

“In the middle of winter?” Thor grinned.

 

Loki laughed. “No, in the autumn, actually. We would have got married back on Jotunheim, but Margaret didn’t think she could cope with the ice and snow.”

 

Thor smiled thoughtfully. “Happiest day of your life?”

 

“No, actually, that was the day I learned she was in love with me, her seventeenth birthday,” Loki replied, and then seeing Thor’s eyes looking slightly longing beyond the happiness, he did something that surprised them both, he reached out and put a hand on Thor’s shoulder. “It _will_ happen,” he said, consolingly, and then added, “I mean you’re not over the hill just yet.”

 

“Should hope not,” Thor laughed. “Perhaps I should take a leaf out of your book and visit this place more often.” He glanced around the grounds. “Find myself a Midgard woman.”

 

“You’ll have to come back, anyway,” Loki replied, folding his arms.

 

“Why?”

 

“To visit Margaret. I think she’s rather taken to you.”

 

They exchanged a smile and began to make their way back to the house. “Tell me,” Thor said, “does Georgiana ever miss this place? I could understand if she does.”

 

“No, I don’t think she misses the place itself so much,” Loki answered. “Margaret, yes, and perhaps the house, but she always thinks of Jotunheim as home now.”

 

“Oh, I know that,” Thor grinned. “She told me.”

 

“Was that before or after she slapped you?”

 

“Before.”

 

Loki grinned at him. “I’m sorry, I just wish I could have seen that. I do love her when she gets cross.”

 

“Really?” Thor joked. “I found her pretty scary, especially since she’s quite a bit shorter than I am!”

 

“Ah,” Margaret smiled as they approached, “the triumphant warriors return.” Then, her gaze shifted to the sky, and she added “And just in time too, it looks like there’s a storm approaching.”

 

Thor and Loki turned to where she was looking, and both of them stopped in their tracks. Those clouds were rolling on too fast to be ordinary Midgardian storm clouds. They were heavy, not with rain, but with magic and darkness.

 

“Dark Elves,” Loki said, softly.

 

“Then...does that mean the Bifrost’s fixed?” Thor asked, slowly, watching the clouds. “Or have they come here on their own?”

 

“Who knows? Their magic’s different to ours,” Loki replied, before common sense kicked in and they both reached for their weapons as the clouds rolled closer to them, Thor’s hand finding Mjölnir’s handle, Loki’s fingering his dagger’s sheath. They began to back up towards the house, their eyes on the skies the whole time as the blue and white above them was blotted out by greying darkness. Loki knew that he was afraid but he knew also that he had to stand and fight. Whatever the Dark Elves wanted here on Midgard they would not get. “This is my wife’s realm,” he muttered, “and I’m going to protect it.”

 

 _“We’re_ going to protect it,” Thor corrected him. “Together. Margaret,” he added, without turning his head, “you’d better get inside. It won’t be you they’re after.”

 

Margaret did as she was advised as Malekith suddenly came swooping out of the darkness towards them, landing on the small wall in front of them so that his eyes were level with theirs.

 

“How touching,” he sneered to Thor. “Since when did you care so much about another realm, Aesir Prince?”

 

Thor, however, didn’t rise to the bait, this time. He simply gripped Mjölnir a little tighter and replied, calmly, “Loki and I accept your surrender if you give it. Do you? Do you surrender?”

 

Malekith looked surprised and for a second Loki thought that he was actually going to give it all up. Then, the Dark Elf ruler threw back his head and began to laugh, causing the rest of his Kursed Warriors, the handful that were left at any rate, to join in.

 

“No,” Malekith snapped, suddenly, and with one movement that neither of them could have foreseen, he threw Thor into the midst of the Kursed Warriors with one flick of the wrist.

 

“Thor!” Loki yelped, automatically, and he vaulted after him as the Kursed advanced. A split second later, however, Mjölnir whistled through the air and took down the nearest one. The next met its end with one slash of Loki’s dagger. He moved fast, dodging weapons left, right and centre, avoiding limbs, delivering minor blows wherever possible and as Thor yanked himself upright, he had to admire Loki’s fighting skills and style. He was so quick it was unbelievable.

 

“Get them, you fools! There are only two of them!” Malekith howled over the sounds of the miniature battle unfolding before his eyes.

 

Thor lashed out at a second Kursed with Mjölnir, this time only managing to crush its shoulder with his blow, but it was distracted enough by the injury for him to deliver a second blow, this time one that knocked it off its feet. He threw Mjölnir through the aira second time and Loki ducked as it barely grazed past him, knocking back the Kursed Warrior he was having trouble defeating.

 

“That thing really does have a life of its own!” he exclaimed.

 

Thor just grinned at him as he caught his favoured weapon and sent himself spinning at another Kursed. _Show off,_ Loki couldn’t help thinking with a grin of his own as he just managed to avoid being sliced in two by another Kursed that came at him with a battle axe. One quick slice to the back of the neck, however, sent the warrior to its knees, and Loki give it a kick out of the way as he caught his breath.

 

“Nicely done!” Thor complimented.

 

“Thank you,” Loki replied, catching a glimpse of Malekith’s fury out of the corner of his eye. He spun around and a second later really wished that he hadn’t as a sword came his way, courtesy of Algrim. Loki lashed out quickly with his dagger as pain suddenly rippled through him and Malekith let out a furious shout as his best warrior finally fell. His cry wasn’t the only one to cut through the air like a knife, however, and Thor whiped around as he took down the final Kursed bearing down on them in time to see Loki stumble to his knees, his bloodied dagger falling from his grip as one hand supported him against the ground and the other clasped the fresh wound spilling onto the grass.

 

“Loki!” Thor shouted, diving down beside him.

 

“I’m such a fool,” Loki muttered, shuddering with the pain. “Always watch your back...the first rule of combat...”

 

“You’re going to be alright,” Thor said, trying to remember what little he knew about dressing wounds.

 

Loki shook his head. “I don’t think so.” He looked at Thor with wide eyes. “Wound’s too deep.”

 

“Seems you Frost Giants aren’t as strong as you like to think you are,” Malekith sneered as he leered over them.

 

Loki ignored him, his hand fumbling across the ground until it found Thor’s. “Thor...Brother...do something for me...”

 

“Anything,” Thor replied, squeezing his hand back.

 

“Just...take care of Georgiana for me...” Loki gasped, fixing him with a pleading look. “Tell her...I love her...please, Thor, do this for me...”

 

“I will,” Thor said, not letting go of him. “I swear it, Brother.”

 

Loki managed a shaky smile. “Brother...You know, I actually always wanted an older brother.” With another shudder, he closed his eyes, his body going limp against Thor’s grip. “I’ll see you in Valhalla,” he murmured, before slipping out of consciousness, and out of life.

 

Thor laid him down on the grass, unable to believe it. How could this be happening? How had this all come about so fast? He felt tears spring to his eyes, of sympathy, and of pity. What would Georgiana say? What would Laufey say? What would any of the Frost Giants think knowing how Loki had met his end, so young? It was Georgiana he felt the most pity for, however, and he clambered shakily to his feet, swearing on his life to always be there for her as per Loki’s final request, before turning a dark look on Malekith.

 

“If your warriors had to kill anyone, they should have killed me,” he said. “My life is not as worth living as much as Loki’s was.”

 

“I don’t see why you’re complaining, when you’ll be joining him soon enough,” Malkith growled, before sending a burst of red magic at Thor that not only sent him spinning through the air and crashing into the nearest tree, but which also sent Mjölnir spinning away from him to goodness knows where.

 

Thor winced as he clambered to his hands a knees, from the force of the impact. Malekith hovered in front of him, laughing, quite unaware of the pulse of the Bifrost a little way away from them.

 

From where they had landed, the parties of Asgard and Jotunheim had a good view of the grounds, which were now littered with the bodies of the dead Kursed, and one other. Georgiana stared, unable to breathe for a second and then she managed to stammer out a “No!” as she hurried forwards.

 

Laufey, however, caught hold of her. “You are unarmed; I won’t risk losing you too,” he said.

 

“But, Loki-!”

 

“Come on,” Odin said, already hurrying towards the grounds.

 

“Too easy,” Malekith smirked, shaking his head as Thor clambered to his feet. “It’s almost worth letting you have a go just to knock you back down again.”

 

“Do you forget that you are alone now?” Thor retorted. “Loki and I managed to take down every single one of your remaining warriors; I would say that was rather clever for an Aesir and a Frost Giant!”

 

Malekith just sneered. “Pathetic fools! Never send pawns to do the work of a King!”

 

“You have a choice, Malekith,” Thor went on, his voice raised like thunder. “You can either leave now as you are, leave this realm that has done you no wrong in peace, or this can end with the spilling of your blood.”

 

“You truly think you can defeat me, Pathetic Asgardian?” Malekith snapped.

 

“Perhaps not, but I can try,” Thor replied, holding out his hand and summoning Mjölnir back to his hand.

 

“I’m disappointed,” Malekith taunted. “That always used to get a rise out of you.”

 

“I’ve been taking lessons on battle tactics from a very wise friend who is now dead,” Thor replied, “by your warrior’s hands!”

 

“Then it seems I must try harder!” Malekith sneered.

 

“Will you surrender, Malekith?” Thor demanded, raising Mjölnir.

 

“Never!” Malekith declared, and with one great leap he was atop the roof of the house. Thor prayed that the inhabitants inside would be safe from his powers. “Darkness will rule this realm! And then, where next? Perhaps Jotunheim? What do you think? Perhaps that pretty little maid your friend over there favoured so much can be persuaded to turn to our cause; what do you think?”

 

“You leave her out of this!” Thor snapped, swinging Mjölnir andusing her to fly right up to where Malekith now crouched like a dog upon the rooftops.

 

“Ooh, getting a soft spot for her yourself, are you?” Malekith sneered.

 

“I am sworn to protect her,” Thor replied, and with that they were fighting, Mjölnir’s blows deflecting all of Malekith’s powerful blasts of magic even as Thor found himself backed to the edge of the roof. Strong as the Aesir were, a fall from such a height could kill them quite easily. He aimed another swing at Malekith, but it missed and Mjölnir swung off in a completely different direction.

 

Malekith laughed in triumph as he finally succeeded in knocking Thor off the roof with his magic. Thor, however, just managed to grab onto the edge and found himself swinging precariously, willing Mjölnir to come back to him.

 

“Oh, Thor,” sighed Malekith, dramatically, “must you insist on trying to live? You know, it really rather bores me when enemies refuse to die.” Thor grunted and tried to swing himself back up onto the roof, but without anything to push his feet against, it was a very difficult feat. Then he felt a shove against his shoulder and he looked up to see that it was Malekith’s foot. “They just don’t know when they’re beaten,” Malekith smirked down at him. “Say “hello” to your Brother for me.”

 

He raised his foot to bring it down hard on Thor’s shoulder but he froze in midair with a pained gasp and Thor stared in wonder at the sight of the Kursed sword that had suddenly materialized right through the Dark Elf ruler’s body. Malekith looked down, unable to believe it, and then twisted his head to one side.

 

“You just told me yourself,” Loki replied, and then yanked the handle of the blade back. At the same time, Thor knocked Malekith’s other foot out from underneath him, sending Malekith toppling over the edge and crashing to the ground below, never to rise again.

 

Panting heavily, Thor managed to get one elbow up over the edge of the roof and Loki grabbed his arm, pulling him back up again. The two young Princes leaned over, catching their breath and staring down at the most dangerous Dark Elf to ever live, the one that they had finally defeated, together.

 

“How about a warning next time you decide to do that?” Thor gasped, presently. “I thought you were really dead.”

 

“What?” Loki panted. “And risk them not believing I was? No.” He shook his head. “Your reaction had to be real, otherwise I would never have pulled it off.”

 

“Well, you proved a point,” Thor agreed, “brains very often beats brawn.” Then, he straightened up and added “And...I’m glad you’re not dead.”

 

“Makes two of us,” Loki replied.

 

Awkwardly, the two men hugged, briefly, before breaking apart and surveying the remains of the Kursed littered down below.

 

“I suppose we’d better clean up the mess we made,” Thor said.

 

“We? That was mostly you,” Loki joked, and they both laughed.

 

Thor threw up a hand and caught Mjölnir as she finally came singing back to him. “Come on.”

 

“I’d rather take my chances jumping,” Loki said.

 

“Tough,” Thor replied, grabbing his arm and flying them both back down to the ground. “So, what was all that “Brother” stuff about, anyway?”

 

Loki flushed and turned away from him. “Just trying to make it convincing so you’d have an excuse to attack Malekith.”

 

“Well, I don’t buy that for a second,” Thor grinned.

 

“It’s the truth,” Loki insisted.

 

“Come on.” Thor gave him a soft punch on the shoulder. “You like me, admit it.”

 

“Well, there’s no need to go spreading it around,” Loki replied, turning to him with a grin.

 

Then to his complete surprise, Georgiana ran up to him and slapped him with such a force that he almost fell over. Thor jumped at the sound. Straightening up in surprise, Loki stared at her. Before he could say anything, though, she had seized the front of his tunic and with a cry of “Loki Laufeyson, don’t you ever scare me like that ever again!” she had kissed him. Loki responded almost instantly, wrapping her in a tight embrace that had Thor averting his eyes out of respect for their privacy. This was love, he realised, wondering how he could have possibly mistaken their relationship for anything else before, true love.

 

“Promise me?” Georgiana insisted, breaking away from the kiss to cup Loki’s face in her hands. “Promise me you won’t do that to me ever again?”

 

Loki smiled. “Darling, I promise,” he said, before pulling her back into his arms with a loving murmur of “I missed you.”

 

“I missed you too,” Georgiana whispered back, clinging to him. Then, Loki felt a tap on his shoulder and he looked up to see Thor grinning at him.

 

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” he teased, referring to the slap. Loki laughed and Georgiana smiled in relief. Standing formally to attention, Thor took a deep breath and added “And, um, I believe I owe you an apology, Lady Georgiana. I made a very foolish mistake and I said some things that offended you, acting without thinking or having any consideration whatsoever for your feelings, so please believe me when I say I truly am very sorry.”

 

To his surprise, Georgiana pulled away from Loki, went up and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. Smiling at the bewildered look on his face, she teased “Perhaps you’re not quite the idiot I took you for after all, Prince Thor.”

 

Thor smiled back at her and then frowned at Loki. “Hold on, I thought you were bleeding.”

 

It was Loki’s turn to smile. “ A clever illusion, my friend, although that Kursed _did_ wound me, but only a scratch, nothing I couldn’t fix myself with magic.”

 

“Well, you certainly fooled me,” Thor replied, and then the three of them were distracted from their banter as Laufey came running up to hug his son, followed quickly by Frigga. Odin came up too, and Thor gave his Father a wary look, unsure whether or not he was in trouble.

 

To his surprise, however, Odin smiled and placed both hands on his shoulders. “I’m proud of you, Thor,” he said. “You have proved yourself to be a worthy ruler of Asgard someday.”

 

Thor smiled and then, with a glance in Loki’s direction, added “Well, Frost Giants aren’t really that bad once you get to know them.”

 

Odin hugged his son. “Well done, my boy,” he said, softly. “You two have shown today what the alliance between our two realms stands for.”

 

Thor shrugged. “I don’t think I really understood it before. But I do now.”

 

There was a general sense of warmth and happiness in the air now that the battle was well and truly over and Georgiana smiled, feeling that nothing could bring any of them down in that moment. As her Mother finally emerged from the house to find the battle well and truly over, and found herself embraced by a very relieved and grateful Laufey, Georgiana tugged Loki’s hand and pulled him a little away from the group. “I’ve got something to tell you,” she said, softly.

 

“Go on,” Loki replied, happy just to be back with her again, even if she had just slapped him, and then his eyes widened as she took both his hands and placed them on her stomach. _“Georgiana!”_ he breathed and then “Are you sure?”

 

Georgiana nodded, beaming at him. “Urd checked me over this morning because I was sick, and well...” They smiled at one another. “Oh,” she added, “I haven’t told you the best part yet.”

 

“Which is?” Loki asked, unable to believe that anything could be better than this news.

 

“It’s triplets,” Georgiana smiled, shyly.

 

Except that.

 

“Triplets?” Loki repeated, and when she nodded again, he pulled her into a hug. “Georgiana, I could kiss you! Well, I mean I’m _going_ to kiss you!” he added, doing so before lifting her off the ground in sheer delight. Georgiana giggled as she clung to him tightly, alerting the others to what was happening.

 

“Good news?” Frigga smiled, knowingly.

 

“The best,” Loki replied, setting Georgiana gently back on her feet before turning to them. “Georgiana’s just informed me we’re going to be parents.”

 

“And we’re having three of them,” Georgiana added, grinning.

 

Margaret looked like she didn’t know whether to shriek in delight or faint as she rushed up to hug them both. Laufey looked ecstatic. Frigga let out a “Congratulations!” as she too bestowed a hug on the Jotunheim Princess, and Odin just laughed in delight before turning to congratulate Laufey.

 

Thor smiled as Loki came up to him, grinning nervously. “Three’s quite a handful, you know?” he teased. “Still want my help?”

 

“Of course,” Loki replied, glancing over at Georgiana who was being fussed over by her own Mother and Thor’s. He smiled and then turned to Thor. “After all, someone’s got to be their Godfather.”


	15. United We Stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “She is their prisoner! Why else would a Midgard woman be in Jotunheim?”
> 
> OR:
> 
> The one where a misunderstanding eventually leads to Thor and Loki learning the true meaning of brotherhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me if you don't like the way the story ends - I wrote this at quarter to midnight after a seven AM start! At any rate, I quite like the ending, but if you don't, well, like I said, don't hate me for it.
> 
> Also, it might not surprise you know I'm planning another Loki/Georgiana fanfic right now; and some of you are probably wondering why I've only ever once done an Evil!Loki/Good Georgiana fanfic (Beauty Amid Darkness) when so many of you love Loki at his baddest. I do too, and at some point I probably will do another like that, but for now I think I've still got a few Nicer Loki tales up my sleeves to tell. 
> 
> Anyway, onto the last chapter, thanks for sticking by me all the way through this, my loyal fans!
> 
> (And I used another Quest for Camelot song for the title, but it fitted!)

Six Years Later...

 

Early dawn broke over Jotunheim, the sun tingeing the snow-covered landscape with a blue blush as it rose, slowly, through the parting clouds. Everything was still and silent, not a bird in the sky, not a stirrance over the frozen waves of the lake, even the flags of the palace didn’t wave because there was no wind, for once. The realm gave off an aura of peace in its quietness.

 

This was Jotunheim whilst its inhabitants were still asleep, a Jotunheim that was only just beginning to wake up.

 

Or so it seemed.

 

The doors creaked open, quietly, as the soft patter of small feet crossed the stone floor, intermixed with the occasional giggle and hushed whisper of “Shush!” before the young Prince was startled out of his sleep by the collected cries of “Wake up! Wake up! It’s today!” and the feeling of three small bodies colliding into the mattress.

 

Blinking, Loki glanced up sleepily and smiled, before turning his attention to his wife. “Georgiana, I don’t want to alarm you, but we seem to be under attack.”

 

“Mm?” Georgiana raised her head. “Then we must do as we always do, Loki, launch a counter-attack.”

 

So saying, she turned about and grabbed the nearest young boy, who squealed as she began to tickle his ribs. “Mother!” he complained, kicking his feet. “Stop! Please!”

 

Loki smiled as he watched Georgiana immediately let up on their son and kiss his cheek, lovingly. Hela crawled into the space between them whilst Nari grinned and tried to catch hold of his brother’s feet. Vali protested with a “Get off!” and attempted to kick free.

 

“Alright, that’s enough now,” Loki told them, though not in a scolding tone.

 

“Well, come on!” Nari tugged at his arm. “It’s today!”

 

Georgiana laughed as she let go of Vali. “They won’t even have arrived yet, Nari, we’re hardly going to miss them.”

 

“But I want to meet Uncle Thor when he gets here,” Nari pouted.

 

“Is he really bringing someone this time?” Hela asked, her eyes alight with anticipation. “A woman?”

 

“Yes, he is,” Loki confirmed, “a Midgardian, just like your Mother.”

 

He caught Georgiana’s eye and smiled at her. Returning it, Georgiana added with mock sternness in her tone, “Yes, so no mischief.”

 

“Boring,” Nari muttered with a sigh, rolling off the bed.

 

“Listen to your Mother,” Loki told him.

 

“Yes, Father,” Nari replied, obediently.

 

“Come on!” Hela sprang up, a little bundle of energy just like Georgiana had been at her age. “Grandfather’s not up yet either!”

 

“Don’t-” Loki began, but the triplets had already run out of the room. He sighed and shook his head, turning to Georgiana. “He’d let them get away with murder.”

 

Georgiana laughed and leaned forwards to kiss him. “So much for a bit of a lie-in before our visitors get here.”

 

Loki grinned at her. They both knew that sleep could go hang as long as their three children were happy. They were worth the sleepless nights and every other minor irritation that came with starting a family.

 

“We’ll have plenty of time to sleep when they’re older,” he replied. “Besides, when we told Thor and his family “the morning,” we weren’t exactly specific, so I suppose it’s a good thing they woke us early.”

 

“You would do anything for them, wouldn’t you?” Georgiana smiled, nuzzling up to him.

 

“As would you,” Loki reminded her.

 

“Mm, I don’t know,” Georgiana replied. “When it came to actually having them, they did push me to the limit a bit. It was somewhat touch-and-go then.”

 

_It had been something of a frightening experience for all concerned anyway, although Urd confided to them both later that first-time births always were. The majority of it was a blur for Georgiana, who remembered mainly the pain that had come with the giving birth, three times over, as well as the panicking that she wouldn’t be able to even deliver the first one._

_“You’re almost there, you’re doing well,” Urd told her. “Just one more big push should do it.”_

_“You can do this, love,” Loki said, gripping her hand firmly in both of his own._

_“What do you bloody know about it?” Georgiana gasped through the pain. “You don’t have to go through things like this!”_

_Loki shook his head, knowing that her anger was just due to her hormonal imbalance, and kissed her forehead._

_Then, in one great rush, it was over, for the minute, and Urd smiled at her. “Congratulations, you have a very healthy baby boy.” She wrapped the fussing little thing in a blanket and handed him to one of the other nurses, before turning back to the young couple. “Now, I think we’re ready for the second one.”_

_“No,” Georgiana moaned, closing her eyes and turning her head away. “I just had one. Leave me alone.”_

_“Georgiana,” Loki murmured, thinking that that was so like her, as he leaned down and kissed her forehead again, “I know you’re in a lot of pain, right now, but when it’s over, we’ll have our children. And you’re going to be the best Mother in the whole of the Nine Realms. I know it.”_

_Weakly, Georgiana murmured “Flatterer,” with a small smile, before preparing herself for the next delivery. It was a little easier, although not much, and soon Urd had declared that they had two healthy boys and it was time for the last baby to be born. Focusing solely on her husband’s words, Georgiana managed to work her way through the pain for the final time, feeling that it was something she never wanted to go through ever again._

_“It’s a girl,” Urd smiled, wrapping her up. “Just as healthy as her brothers.”_

_Georgiana managed a smile, although her entire body felt weakened and she leaned against Loki, who wrapped her in a tight embrace. “I am so proud of you,” he murmured._

_“Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you ever make me go through that ever again, I will feed you to a Bilgesnipe,” Georgiana murmured back, closing her eyes._

_Loki just smiled and held her closer. A few moments later, Laufey was admitted into the room, just as the nurses were handing over their babies. Taking their younger son in her arms, Georgiana smiled down at his peacefully sleeping blue face, and was reminded instantly of Loki in their youth, and of that day he had finally revealed his heritage to her._

_“Everything’s alright?” Laufey asked, anxiously, approaching the bedside._

_Loki looked up at him and smiled. “They’re all fine.”_

_Georgiana looked up at the Jotun King and smiled. “They’re absolutely perfect.”_

_“And you’re alright?” Laufey checked. “How are you feeling?”_

_“A bit sore, and I can’t seem to stop crying, but I’m alright,” Georgiana replied._

_“Your Majesty,” Urd said, approaching him with the third bundle, “would you like to hold your granddaughter?”_

_Laufey was surprised but eagerly accepted the offer. The tiny girl blinked up at him, curiously, her small red eyes scrunching as she tried to focus on his face. He found himself reminded of a time like this many years ago, when Farbauti had given birth to Loki._

_“What are you thinking of naming them?” he asked._

_“Nari,” Loki replied, indicating the boy he was holding, and then the one Georgiana had, “and Vali.”_

_“And for the girl, we were thinking Hela Farbauti,” Georgiana smiled._

_Laufey smiled, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “She would be honoured to know that.”_

“Come on, then, my love,” Loki murmured, breaking into both of their thoughts. “Let us prepare for this ordeal.”

 

“Ordeal?” Georgiana laughed and swatted at him. “He’s your best friend, remember?”

 

Loki just gave her a mischievous grin as he climbed out of bed, and Georgiana found herself wondering whether she had told the right person off, as far as mischief was concerned.

 

By the time they were both ready, their children had come running back into the room freshly washed and dressed, and having sneakily stolen some apple tarts from the kitchens, for which they were being pursued by one of the maids. Loki always knew that it was fruitless getting too cross with them, because he could never do that for too long with them, and neither could Georgiana. Anyway, in this case, no harm had really been done and once it was all cleared up, the five of them made their way outside and across the snow-white plains.

 

The children ran on ahead, their black hair whipping about in the wind as they raced one another. Though, like their father, they had been born with the blue skin and red eyes of Frost Giants, they had also, like their father, been taught to use magic from a very early age, so they were currently wearing their Aesir forms. In these forms, they all looked very like their Mother, they had her eyes and Loki was prepared to swear that Hela also had some of her facial features, but they still retained his raven hair, Hela’s tumbling over her shoulders in wild waves like Georgiana’s whilst Nari and Vali wore theirs short and neatly combed back.

 

“There!” Hela squealed suddenly, pointing ahead to the flash of rainbow lights that signalled the arrival of their guests. “The Bifrost!”

 

“Hela!” Loki called in a warning tone, jogging to catch up with her. “Don’t get too close, or you’ll be sucked in and dragged Valhalla knows where.”

 

All three children immediately stopped and watched the silhouettes of their guests form within the lights until four people stood before them, three familiar and one a newcomer. The triplets immediately ran to Thor, who chuckled and crouched down in front of them.

 

“And what have you three been up to while I’ve been away?” he asked, fondly, glancing at Loki behind them. “Running your Father ragged?”

 

“Someone has to when you’re not here,” Loki quipped.

 

Georgiana smiled as she walked up to hug Frigga and then turned to the young woman, who looked slightly nervous about being in a strange place. “And you must be Jane, am I right?”

 

“Yes, it’s very nice to meet you,” Jane replied, taking the hand offered to her and relaxing a little at once. “I’ve heard a lot about your...realm.”

 

Thor looked up at her and grinned and Georgiana noted the look that passed between them, a look that she knew only too well, a look that she and Loki exchanged every day. The look of love.

 

“Well, we are honoured to have you here as our guest,” she replied, turning to Odin. “Laufey’s waiting for us in the courtroom.”

 

“Come on!” Hela tugged at Thor’s arm, and he smiled and allowed her to drag him along, with her brothers close behind. Loki watched them, fondly, trying to remember why he had ever disliked Thor in the first place _...oh, yes, kidnapping my wife, but I forgave him for that a long time ago._ Their friendship, “brotherhood,” Thor always insisted it was, and perhaps he was right, just seemed to have grown stronger after their battle with the Dark Elves, and consequently the relationship between Asgard and Jotunheim had never been stronger.

 

The day passed in cheerful tranquillity, old friends catching up and learning of new things, and people. Georgiana discovered that Jane was from America and took a liking to her instantly, finding a kindred Midgardian spirit in her, which Loki was happy about. Sometimes he wondered if she missed her people on Midgard, even though she always insisted that here on Jotunheim with him and their children was her home, so having someone close by from her own realm to talk with would be good for her, he decided.

 

“Do you think she might be the one, then?” he asked Thor as they watched the triplets playing quietly together away from the boring grown-up chatter.

 

“I think so.” Thor turned to him. “Look, when you fell in love with Georgiana, did you...just feel like you knew?”

 

“I felt like the missing piece of my heart had finally been found, yes,” Loki replied. “Does Jane make you feel like that?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then marry her.”

 

Thor laughed. “Well, it worked for you, Brother.”

 

Loki grinned. “Am I allowed to say I told you so?”

 

“Certainly not,” Thor grinned back.

 

Loki turned his head, glancing at Georgiana and Jane as they bonded. Georgiana glanced his way, suddenly, and smiled at him. He returned it, and then said, with genuine feeling, “I’m happy you’ve finally found your own Georgiana.”

 

“I’ve found my own _Midgard Woman,”_ Thor corrected him.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so personally, I don't find Frost Giants all that monstrous and I don't get why they're always depicted that way, so I came up with this idea that there are people like Georgiana and her Mother in the world who are more accepting of Frost Giants and take the time to get to know them, whereas people like Thor have been weaned on rumours and don't take the time to see beyond their appearances because they believe them to be monsters. There's going to be a lot of stereotyping of Frost Giants on Thor's part but it'll all end well, don't worry, because my stories always do!


End file.
